Consumer markets scoreboard : making markets work for consumers. December 2012.
Date: 2013-06-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Consumers
Subjects: consumer policy, consumer protection, consumption, domestic market, electronic commerce, single market

CONSUMER MARKETS SCOREBOARD
Making markets work for consumers

European Commission

8th edition – December 2012

Table of contents 

1.  INTRODUCTION  

2.  MARKET MONITORING SURVEY RESULTS 

2.1.  Market performance indicator (MPI) 
2.2.  Country differences in market assessment 
2.3.  Socio-demographic differences in market assessment 
2.4.  Market assessment components 

2.4.1.  Comparability 
Trust  
2.4.2. 
Problems 
2.4.3. 
2.4.4.  Complaints 
2.4.5.  Overall satisfaction 
2.4.6.  Choice 
2.4.7. 

Switching 

3.  PRICES 

4.  COMPLAINTS 

5.  SAFETY   

6.  CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS 

Annex I  – Prices 
Annex II  – National rankings of markets 
Annex III – Market names 

2

4
5
10
14
17
17
19
21
23
26
28
31

36

46

52

60
64
72
102

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C H A P T E R 1

Introduction

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3

The  Consumer  Scoreboard  provides  an  evidence  base  for  policy  action  and  regula-
tion  that  is  driven  by  a  better  understanding  of  real  outcomes  for  consumers.  It 
helps policy makers to ensure that policies take better account of consumers’ expec-
tations and concerns, and to identify priority areas to be addressed in order to im-
prove consumer conditions. Given that final consumption expenditure of households 
represents  56 %  of  the  EU’s  GDP,  improvements  in  consumer  conditions  can  make 
a  significant  contribution  to  boosting  economic  growth  in  line  with  the  objectives 
of  the  Europe  2020  Strategy.  If  consumers  are  able  to  fully  play  their  role  in  the 
market, making informed choices and rewarding efficient and innovative businesses, 
they contribute to stimulating competition and economic growth. On the other hand, 
markets where consumers are confused, misled, find it hard to switch or have little 
choice  will  be  less  competitive  and  generate  more  consumer  detriment,  to  the  ex-
pense of the efficiency of the overall economy. It is therefore important to identify 
which  parts  of  the  Single  Market  are  not  working  well  for  consumers.  This  is  the 
purpose  of  the  Consumer  Markets  Scoreboard.  As  a  second  step,  in-depth  market 
studies of the sectors that appear to be underperforming are carried out to gain a 
better insight into the problems and identify possible remedies.

The European Consumer Agenda1 of May 2012 set out a strategic vision for consum-
er policy, aimed at putting empowered consumers at the centre of the Single Market 
by reinforcing consumer safety, enhancing knowledge, stepping up enforcement and 
redress  arrangements,  and  aligning  consumer  rights  and  policies  to  economic  and 
societal change. The Agenda envisages that all planned initiatives will be supported 
by  continuously  updated  sources  of  key  information,  including  Consumer  Markets 
Scoreboards and the related in-depth studies. The role of the Scoreboard in identify-
ing those markets across the economy that do not function for consumers was also 
acknowledged in the Progress Report on the Europe 2020 Strategy2, which accompa-
nied the 2012 Annual Growth Survey. The March 2012 European Council3 recognised 
that  enhanced  ‘peer  pressure’  can  help  raise  Member  States’  sense  of  ownership 
and  responsibility  in  developing  the  Single  Market  and  complying  with  its  rules.  To 
that end, the Council invited the Commission ‘to provide transparent scoreboards as 
a basis for appropriate benchmarking’. Similarly, the European Parliament4 has called 
on  the  Commission  to  ‘assess  the  extent  to  which  consumers  and  businesses  alike 
benefit from the Single Market, and (…) report on obstacles to its functioning’ within 

the  annual  monitoring  exercise  of  the  European  Semester,  taking  account  of  the 
Scoreboard  reporting  mechanisms.  In  June  2012,  the  Commission  Communication 
on better governance for the Single Market5 set out actions and targets to improve 
the implementation and enforcement of Single Market rules in key areas, including 
financial services, transport, energy and digital markets. All these areas are among 
the  markets  screened  in  the  Consumer  Scoreboards.  The  Commission  has  also  un-
dertaken  to  prepare  an  annual  report  on  the  integration  of  the  Single  Market,  as 
part  of  the  Annual  Growth  Survey,  to  monitor  how  the  Single  Market  functions  in 
practice,  in  particular  in  key  areas  and  for  key  market  actors,  including  businesses 
and consumers. The report will feed into the drawing up of country specific recom-
mendations  in  the  context  of  the  European  Semester.  The  Consumer  Scoreboard 
data provide important insights into how the markets are functioning from the con-
sumers’ perspective and are thus an important contribution to this process.

The  majority  of  the  Scoreboard  data  comes  from  the  annual  market  monitoring 
survey which measures consumer experiences and perceived conditions in 21 goods 
and 30 services markets accounting for around 60 % of the household expenditure. 
Consumer conditions in each market are assessed on the basis of six main criteria: 
comparability,  trust,  problems  and  complaints,  satisfaction,  choice  and  switching. 
The survey covers the 27 EU Member States, plus Iceland and Norway, thus allowing 
for peer comparisons and benchmarking performance of markets from a consumer 
perspective.  This  year’s  was  the  third  edition  of  the  survey,  so  results  can  also  be 
compared  over  time.  To  ensure  that  it  takes  account  of  relevant  experience  rather 
than  uninformed  opinion,  the  survey  is  conducted  among  consumers  with  recent 
purchasing experience in each market.6

Additional indicators include data on price differences across the EU and complaints 
data collected by national complaint bodies. This edition of the Scoreboard includes 
for the first time an analysis of consumer complaints collected according to a har-
monised methodology in line with the Commission Recommendation of 2010.7

1 

2 

3 

4 

COM(2012) 225 final, http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/docs/consumer_agenda_2012_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/pdf/ags2012_annex1_en.pdf

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/128520.pdf

5 

6 

European Parliament Resolution of 14 June 2012 on Single Market Act: The Next Steps to Growth (2012/
2663(RSP)), http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2012-0258+
0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

COM(2012) 259/2

The survey is based on random sampling. Telephone interviews were conducted between March and 
May 2012 with a sample of 500 people (aged 18+) for each of the 51 markets and in each EU Mem-
ber State, Iceland and Norway (250 people in Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and Iceland). In total, over 
650 000 individual market assessments were carried out.

7 

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/docs/consumer-complaint-recommendation_en.pdf

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C H A P T E R 2

Market monitoring survey results

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2.1.  MARKET PERFORMANCE INDICATOR (MPI)

Figure 1:  MPI (Market Performance Indicator) – EU27, all markets

The ranking of 51 consumer markets at EU level is based on the ‘Market Perform-
ance  Indicator’  (MPI)  –  a  composite  index  taking  into  account  four  key  aspects  of 
consumer experience:

1)   the ease of comparing goods or services on offer;

2)   consumers’  trust  in  retailers/suppliers  to  comply  with  consumer  protection 

rules;

3)   problems  experienced  and  the  degree  to  which  they  have  led  to  complaints; 

and

4)   consumer  satisfaction  (the  extent  to  which  the  market  lives  up  to  what  con-

sumers expect).

The  four  components  of  the  index  are  weighted  equally  and  the  maximum  total 
score is 100.8

In  addition,  for  the  relevant  markets,  the  Scoreboard  also  monitors  the  choice  of 
retailers/providers and switching of tariffs/providers. 

National  rankings  based  on  the  MPI  are  included  in  Annex  II.  Annex  III  contains  a 
description of each market.

The overall assessment of market performance has improved slightly over the past 
two years in absolute terms. The Market Performance Indicator for all countries and 
all markets taken together has increased on average by 0.9 points since 2011 and 
by  1.3  points  since  2010.  In  general,  goods  markets  are  still  performing  consider-
ably better than services markets and the gap between the two has not narrowed 
since  2010.  Figure  1  presents  the  EU27  results  weighted  according  to  each  coun-
try’s population size.

8 

For  the  ‘comparability’,  ‘trust’  and  ‘satisfaction’  components,  the  score  was  calculated  by  taking  the 
mean of the answers of all respondents (on a scale from 0 to 10). The score of the ‘problems and com-
plaints’ component is calculated as follows: when a respondent did not experience any problems (and 
therefore did not receive the complaint question), a score of 10 was assigned to this component. When 
a respondent experienced a problem but did not complain, a score of 5 was assigned to this compo-
nent. When a respondent complained, the score depended on the recipient of the complaint (a score of 
3 when complaining to friends, family, relatives, a score of 2 when complaining to a retailer/provider or 
to a manufacturer; a score of 0 when complaining to a third-party complaints body).

81

80

79

78

77

76

75

74

73

72

71

80.41

77.51

79.45

All markets
Goods markets
Services markets

78.17

76.65

76.18

75.50

74.68

74.87

2012

2011

2010

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

In order to filter out possible economic or other effects that might influence the index 
as  a  whole  and  to  isolate  relative  changes  in  the  performance  of  each  market,  the 
MPI results for individual markets at EU and national level have been normalised to 
the  average  score  of  the  respective  group  of  markets  (i.e.  goods  or  services),  which 
equals 100. This also makes comparative market analysis easier, by indicating the po-
sition of each market in relation to the respective average (i.e. above or below 100).9

9 

However, it should be borne in mind that figures which have been normalised with different averages 
(i.e. in different country tables or for goods as opposed to services) are not strictly comparable.

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

The  top  three  services  markets  in  2012,  as  in  2011  and  2010,  are  those  for  ‘per-
sonal  care  services’,  ‘culture  and  entertainment’  and  ‘commercial  sport  services’. 
The markets at the bottom of the ranking also stay the same. For the third year in 
a  row,  last  place  goes  to  the  market  for  ‘investment  products’,  while  the  markets 
for ‘mortgages’ and ‘real estate services’ swapped places as compared with 2011. 
In terms of market groups, recreational services receive the most positive assess-
ments, with all six markets in this group scoring well above the average of all serv-
ices markets. Banking services is clearly the worst performing cluster, with all four 
markets in this group receiving below average scores. These are rated consistently 
lower by the more disadvantaged socio-demographic groups, who are most likely to 
suffer from a lack of financial literacy. The telecom and public utilities markets are 
also ranked low by consumers.

Figure  2  presents  the  normalised  MPI  scores  at  EU  level  for  the  21  goods  and  30 
services markets. The scores have been weighted according to the size of each coun-
try’s population, i.e. the views of consumers from large Member States have a great-
er influence on these results.10 Lower MPI scores are an indication that the market 
may be malfunctioning. The table to the right of the graph indicates the difference 
between the normalised MPI scores of 2012 and 2011, and the ranking of markets in 
the last three years.11 To distinguish possible patterns in the performance of specific 
market groups, markets that have comparable ways of functioning and characteris-
tics are assigned numbers to classify them according to nine market clusters.12

The  results  largely  confirm  the  findings  of  the  previous  two  editions  of  the  Con-
sumer  Markets  Scoreboard.  Among  goods  markets,  the  ‘fast  moving  retail’  group 
receives  the  best  market  performance  evaluations,  with  the  markets  for  ‘books, 
magazines  and  newspapers’,  ‘non  alcoholic  drinks’  and  ‘bread,  cereals,  rice  and 
pasta’ recording the highest MPI scores. The market for ‘meat and meat products’ 
remains the lowest performing market in the ‘fast-moving’ category for a third year 
in  a  row.  (Semi-)durable  goods  markets  also  appear  to  be  functioning  well,  with 
the notable exception of ‘clothing and footwear’, ranked third from bottom among 
goods  markets.  Finally,  the  automotive  markets  group  receives  by  far  the  lowest 
scores, with the market for second hand cars coming last place in the ranking for 
goods  markets  for  the  third  year  in  a  row,  the  fuels  market  ranked  second  lowest 
for the second year running and the market for new cars ranked fourth lowest.

10  When MPI at EU27 level is calculated on the basis of equal country weightings – reflecting the extent 
to which problems are shared between Member States, irrespective of size – the results are largely 
similar. The comparison of these two rankings reveals that some sectors perform considerably worse 
in  larger  Member  States  than  overall  across  the  EU.  This  is  the  case  for  bank  accounts  (10  places 
lower in the population-based ranking), train services (−7 places), gas and postal services (−5 places), 
new  cars,  vehicle  insurance  and  fuel  for  vehicles  (−5  points).  On  the  other  hand,  the  markets  for 
maintenance services, meat, and fruit and vegetables perform better in larger EU countries.

11 

12 

In  2011,  four  new  markets  were  added,  three  markets  removed  and  two  markets  redefined.  This 
explains the gaps in the 2010 ranking.

The  following  services  markets  were  not  classified  in  any  of  the  clusters:  ‘legal  and  accountancy’, 
‘personal care’, ‘maintenance’, ‘real estate’, ‘vehicle rental’ and ‘vehicle maintenance and repair’.

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Figure 2:  Normalised MPI (Market Performance Indicator) – EU27 level with sub-groups 

7

S
D
O
O
G

Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Spectacles and lenses²
Small household appliances²
Large household appliances²
Entertainment goods²
Dairy products¹
Alcoholic drinks¹
Electronic products²
Personal care products¹
Furniture and furnishings²
Maintenance products²
Non prescription medicines¹
Fruit and vegetables¹
ICT products²
Meat and meat products¹
New cars³
Clothing and footwear²
Fuel for vehicles³
Second hand cars³

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment⁴
Commercial sport services⁴
Holiday accommodation⁴
Airline services⁵
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Vehicle insurance⁶
Vehicle rental services
Home insurance⁶
Postal services
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Fixed telephone services⁷
Legal and accountancy services⁹
Water supply⁸
Maintenance services
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
TV-subscriptions⁷
Gas services⁸
Private life insurance⁶
Internet provision⁷
Mobile telephone services⁷
Bank accounts⁹
Electricity services⁸
Train services⁵
Real estate services
Mortgages⁹
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹

diﬀ
2012
2011

-0.6
0.0
0.4
-0.4
0.4
0.6
0.0
-0.9
0.2
0.5
-0.5
0.4
0.4
-0.4
0.4
0.3
0.4
-0.1
-0.3
-1.2
0.2

-0.4
-0.4
-0.2
0.3
-0.1
-0.5
0.3
0.5
-0.6
-0.9
-0.4
-1.7
-1.5
0.3
0.3
-0.2
-0.3
0.4
0.4
3.2
-0.9
-0.4
1.4
0.5
-0.1
0.6
0.5
0.2
-0.3
-0.1

2012

2011

2010

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

1
2
5
3
7
10
6
4
9
11
8
13
14
12
15
16
18
17
19
20
21

1
2
3
4
6
5
7
10
9
8
12
11
13
17
18
15
14
19
21
27
16
20
24
23
22
25
26
29
28
30

1
3
2

6
7
11

4
8
5
12
15
9
13
14
17
16
19
18
20

1
2
3
4
7
9
11
12
13
10
15
8
14
18
22

16
21

19

28
25
24
23
27
29

30

           103.7
          102.8
         102.6
         102.0
         101.9
         101.6
         101.6
         101.5
         101.2
         101.1
         101.0
        100.3
        100.2
        99.9
        99.4
       98.9
       98.8
       98.5
      97.1
   93.8
 92.0

               107.7
              106.6
             105.4
             105.0
            104.2
            103.8
            103.6
           102.9
          102.1
          101.8
          101.2
         100.6
        99.9
        99.5
        99.4
        99.1
        99.0
       98.8
       98.4
       98.4
       98.4
      97.8
      97.6
      97.1
     96.8
     96.3
    95.7
   94.7
   94.6
  93.6

1

2

3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

The risk of consumer detriment is higher in markets where consumers spend more 
money.  Figure  3  shows  the  MPI  scores  of  each  market  in  relation  to  its  share  in 
the household budget (data from the Household Budget Survey13 – HBS). There is a 
clear trend towards better performance in markets where consumers spend more. 
In  the  case  of  mortgages  (one  of  the  underperforming  markets),  the  low  share  in 
overall  consumption14  does  not  fully  reflect  the  potential  detriment  to  consumers, 
because it merely includes the charges associated with the loan. To gauge the risk 
for  consumers,  one  should  consider  that  interest  paid  contributes  to  net  property 
income and thus the disposable income of households.15 Similarly, some other mar-
kets  (‘investments,  pensions  and  securities’,  ‘real  estate  services’)  have  a  big  im-
pact on households’ wealth and disposable income16 despite accounting for a small 
share of expenditure.

In terms of absolute differences in normalised MPI scores, 25 markets (including 8 
goods and 17 services markets) have seen a decrease, while 24 (including 11 goods 
and  13  services  markets)  increased  their  score  (two  have  the  same  score  as  in 
2011). Overall, the gap between the highest and lowest scoring markets narrowed 
by 0.8 points in goods markets and 0.3 in services markets.

The  highest  increase  can  be  found  in  the  markets  for  TV  subscriptions  (+3.2)  and 
internet  provision  (+1.4),  which  may  be  influenced  by  the  rise  and  depth  of  ‘bun-
dles’  (subscriptions  combining  telephone,  internet  and  TV).  In  both  markets,  the 
improvement is noted for all components except switching. However, the incidence 
of problems and complaints is still considerably higher than in other services mar-
kets,  while  the  choice  component,  in  particular  in  the  market  for  TV  subscriptions, 
scores  well  below  average.  For  TV  subscriptions,  the  higher  market  performance 
score  can  be  attributed  to  significant  improvements  in  some  EU12  countries  (the 
twelve Member States that joined the EU after 2004).

The largest decreases in scores are found in the markets for ‘postal services’ (−1.7) 
and  ‘tram,  local  bus  and  metro’  (−1.5).  While  for  postal  services  worse  perform-
ance is noted for all components except for the number of complaints, local public 
transport has seen a greater percentage of problems and lower ratings on the trust 
and  satisfaction  components.  The  deterioration  in  the  performance  of  these  two 
markets may reflect budgetary cuts in the context of austerity policies, since both 
depend  on  public  funding  in  many  countries.  A  significantly  worse  performance  is 
also recorded, for a second year in a row, in the market for ‘fuel for vehicles’ (−1.2), 
which  has  seen  a  decrease  in  the  scores  on  trust,  satisfaction  and  choice,  and  a 
slight rise in the incidence of problems encountered by consumers.

13 

14 

15 

16 

Eurostat figures for 2005 and estimates for missing categories.

Estimated from HBS data.

Interest paid by households (on all kind of loans and on other accounts payable) represents 2.2 % of 
EU households’ disposable income (Eurostat, sector accounts 2011).

Property income represents 14.6 % of EU households’ disposable income (Eurostat, sector accounts 
2011).

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6 %

5 %

4 %

3 %

2 %

1 %

t
e
g
d
u
b

d
l
o
h
e
s
u
o
H
e
h
t

f
o

e
r
a
h
S

Figure 3:  MPI (Market Performance Indicator) and HBS (Household Budget Survey)

Clothing and  
footwear

Cafes, bars and 
restaurants

Fuels

Meat and meat 
products

Furniture and 
furnishings

Fruit and 
vegetables

Bread, cereals, rice 
and pasta

9

  1  Real estate services
  2  Books, magazines and 

newspapers

  3  Non alcoholic beverages
  4  Water supply
  5  Cultural and entertain-

ment services
  6  Alcoholic beverages
  7  Vehicle rental services
  8  Maintenance services
  9  Tram, local bus, metro
10  Loans and credit cards
11  Legal and accountancy 

services

12  TV-subscriptions
13  Small household 

appliances

14  Non prescription 

medicines

15  Holiday accomodation
16  Commercial sport 

services

17  Electronic products
18  Large household 
appliances*

19  Entertainment goods*

* Markets # 18 and 19 

have the same MPI and 
HBS values

Electricity services

Second hand cars

Gas services

Fixed telephone 
services

Mobile telephone services

Private life 
insurances

4

Vehicle maintenance 
and repair

Internet provision

8

9

Home insurance

New cars

Packaged holidays 
& tours

Dairy products

Personal care products

Vehicle 
insurances

Maintenance 
products

6

5

2

3

11

Postal services

Airline services

7

Gambling 
services

ICT 
products

15

14

16

17

19

Personal care 
services

18

13

Spectacles 
and lenses

92.0

94.0

96.0

98.0

100.0

102.0

104.0

106.0

MPI 2012 (population weighted and normalised)

Investments, 
pensions, securities

Mortgages

Train 
services

Bank 
accounts

1

10

12

0 %

90.0

Source: Market monitoring survey 2012, Eurostat data, estimates

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10

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

2.2. 

COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN MARKET ASSESSMENT

MPI  spread  across  the  EU  countries  reflects  the  differences  in  outcomes  for  con-
sumers and can therefore be seen as a soft indicator of Single Market integration 
insofar as consumer experience is concerned. Taking MPI variance as a measure of 
spread, services markets on the whole show a wider divergence across EU Member 
States  than  goods  markets  (variance  is  13.5  and  8.2  respectively),  which  might 
be  explained  in  part  by  the  lower  cross  border  tradability  of  services.  In  general, 
banking  and  network  services  have  the  most  heterogeneous  performance  across 
Member States, with the markets for mortgages, train services and electricity serv-
ices showing the greatest divergence. The most integrated markets include recrea-
tional  services  (which  may  reflect  the  inherent  characteristics  of  these  markets) 
and  certain  (semi-)durable  goods  such  as  household  equipment  (which  tend  to  be 
more uniform across the EU than other products). In addition, the high negative cor-
relation  (−0.71,  at  0.05  significance  level)17  between  MPI  variance  and  MPI  scores 
shows  that  markets  which  are  more  integrated  from  the  perspective  of  consumer 
experience tend also to perform better. This could be interpreted as supporting the 
view that internal market integration works to the benefit of the consumers.18

17 

18 

The  EU-level  MPI  scores  for  each  market  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  equal  country  weightings, 
reflecting the extent to which problems are shared among Member States, irrespective of size. When 
MPI scores are weighted according to the size of each country’s population, the correlation with MPI 
variance is −0.73.

It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  market-specific  MPI  variance  across  the  EU  may  reflect  not  only 
the degree of market integration but also different consumer preferences and product heterogeneity 
within each market.

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11

  1 Large household 

appliances

  2 Commercial sport 

services

  3 Electronic products
  4 Holiday accommodation
  5 Furniture and furnishings
  6 Small household 

appliances

  7 Packaged holidays & 

tours

  8 Maintenance products
  9 Spectacles and lenses
10 Non prescription 

medicines

11 Books, magazines and 

newspapers

12 Bread, cereals, rice and 

pasta

13 Personal care services
14 Personal care products
15 Airline services

Figure 4: Correlation between MPI variance and MPI score

e
c
n
a
i
r
a
V

I
P
M

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

67

Mortgages

Electricity services

Train services

Mobile telephone services

Bank accounts

Clothing and footwear

Fuel for vehicles

Water supply

Meat and meat products

Second hand cars

Loans, credit and credit cards

Fixed telephone services

Real estate services

Tram, local bus, metro

Gambling and lottery services

Investment products,
private pensions and 
securities

Internet provision

Legal and accountancy services

Gas services

Postal services

TV-Subscriptions

Vehicle maintenance and repair

Dairy products

Maintenance services

Private life insurance

Vehicle insurance

10

Alcohol drinks

Home insurance

ICT products

15

New cars

Entertainment goods
3

9

6

14

12

Non-alcoholic drinks

11

13

7

8

5

2

4

1

Culture and entertainment

69

71

73

75

77

79

81

83

85

87

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

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12

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Overall market assessment (across all markets) varies significantly between coun-
tries (Figure 5). Of course, consumers in different countries may differ in their eval-
uations not only because of actual differences in market performance, but also due 
to cultural differences, differences in consumption patterns and different consumer 
environments (e.g. well-informed and empowered consumers may be more critical 
and/or have higher expectations). Economic and market differences may also play a 
role. For instance, both prices and consumer confidence in the state of the economy 
have  a  statistically  significant,  albeit  small  to  modest,  influence  on  how  markets 
are  evaluated  (correlations  of  −0.14  and  0.32  respectively,  at  0.05  significance 
level).19 Taking these caveats into account, consumers in Luxembourg, Germany and 
Estonia  give  the  highest  market  performance  scores  while  Bulgarian,  Swedish  and 
Spanish consumers are the most critical in their assessment. The largest increases 
in  scores  since  2011  can  be  seen  in  Hungary  and  Germany.  The  Czech  Republic 
and Slovenia, on the other hand, record the largest decrease in the overall market 
performance score.

19 

Economic,  social  and  business  statistics  are  regularly  provided  by  Eurostat  –  http://epp.eurostat.
ec.europa.eu. A detailed overview of consumer conditions in EU Member States, plus Iceland and Nor-
way, can be found in the latest edition of the Commission’s Consumer Conditions Scoreboard – http://
ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumer_research/editions/docs/7th_edition_scoreboard_en.pdf.

Figure 5: MPI by country (across all markets)

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

2011

2010

2.4
2.6
1.6
-0.5
2.1
0.9
-0.8
0.6
0.0
-1.6
0.5
3.7
-0.3
0.0
-1.1
1.3
-0.3
-0.9
0.0
0.9
0.5
-1.9
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
1.7

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

2
4
5
1
11
14
6
16
9
3
17
24
10
15
7
19
13
8
18
21
20
12
22
23
25
26
27

8
18
3
1
17
4
21
15
9
5
10
23
13
12
11
25
19
7
6
22
14
2
20
24
16
27
26

  77.5

82.3
81.7
80.6
  79.8
  79.8
  78.3
  77.8
  77.8
  77.7
  77.6
  77.6
  77.5
  77.5
  77.4
  77.4
  77.4
  77.1
  77.1
  76.9
  76.3
  75.9
  75.7
  75.7
  74.4
  74.2
  74.1
 71.6

  75.5
 72.5

EU27

LU
DE
EE
FI
MT
UK
FR
AT
NL
SI
BE
HU
LV
DK
SK
CY
EL
LT
IE
PT
PL
CZ
IT
RO
ES
SE
BG

NO
IS

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13

Market  performance  is  in  general  assessed  slightly  more  positively  by  consumers 
in EU15 than in EU12 countries (difference of over two points in absolute scores on 
a scale of up to 100) and this difference has increased over the past three years. 
However, there are exceptions, such as telecoms (fixed and mobile telephone serv-
ices,  internet  provision  and  TV  subscriptions),  postal  services  and  airline  services, 
which score higher in the EU12 than in the EU15.

As for the regional breakdown, market performance is assessed most positively in 
Western  Europe  (79.3  points,  as  compared  with  76.4  in  Northern  Europe,  75.7  in 
Eastern Europe and 75.4 in Southern Europe).

Table 1: Regional differences

All markets 2012

77.9

75.7

2.2

76.4

75.4

EU15

EU12

Diff. 
EU15–EU12

North

South

Market clusters

Fast moving retail 

(Semi-)durable goods

Telecoms

Transport

Utilities

Banking services

Insurance services

Automotive goods

Recreational services

Other services

82.4

81.4

73.2

75.4

74.2

71.8

75.9

76.0

80.5

76.4

78.2

79.0

75.3

75.3

73.3

69.1

75.7

71.4

78.2

73.2

4.2

2.4

−2.1

0.1

0.9

2.7

0.2

4.6

2.3

3.2

80.6

78.3

67.6

74.8

74.9

73.1

74.5

76.3

79.5

75.3

81.1

80.0

69.5

72.0

70.1

65.8

72.3

73.0

79.6

73.8

East

75.7

78.1

79.0

75.3

75.2

73.3

69.0

75.7

71.3

78.1

73.1

West

79.3

83.2

82.3

75.5

77.2

76.2

74.7

77.7

77.5

81.0

77.7

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14

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

2.3. 

SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN 
MARKET ASSESSMENT

Market assessments also differ according to socio-demographic variables. The five 
socio demographic variables screened in the survey are gender, age, education, oc-
cupation and internet usage. The performance of particular markets can be evalu-
ated differently by different socio-demographic groups because they use and expe-
rience them differently and encounter different problems.

The performance of goods markets is much more homogeneous across different so-
cio demographic groups than that of services markets. Table 2 indicates statistically 
significant differences (at 0.001 level) in the assessment of each market by different 
socio-demographic groups and the average score for all markets taken together.

The gender based analysis shows that in general women are more positive in their 
evaluation  of  market  performance  than  men,  with  statistically  significant  differ-
ences  for  13  markets.  For  the  goods  markets,  this  finding  applies  to  certain  fast-
moving retail goods and small household appliances. This is significant in the light 
of  the  fact  that  women  traditionally  have  the  main  responsibility  for  purchasing 
these  types  of  goods  and  are  thus  more  familiar  with  these  markets.  Analysis  at 
market  group  level  shows  that  men’s  and  women’s  evaluations  differ  mainly  for 
those  market  groups  where  less  household-level  spending  occurs.  It  may  be  that 
couples  discuss  common  household  purchases  more  among  themselves,  so  they 
have a more consistent view of these markets.

As for the different age groups, young people (aged 18–24), followed by the oldest 
age group (55+), seem to be more positive in their market evaluations than average. 
The 35–54 age group gives lower than average scores. Almost all markets relating 
to  private  or  public  transport  (with  the  exception  of  train  services)  are  evaluated 
more positively by older people. On the one hand, one could hypothesise that older 
people are less mobile and therefore have lower expectations and fewer problems. 
On  the  other  hand,  older  people  have  experienced  the  development  of  transport 
services  over  time  and  may  give  a  more  positive  evaluation  of  the  current  market 
situation as a result. 

Analysis according to degree of education uses a breakdown according to four cat-
egories:  people  who  went  to  school  until  the  age  of  15,  those  who  stayed  in  sec-
ondary education until the age of between 16 and 19, higher educated respondents 

(who stayed in education until at least the age of 20) and those who are still study-
ing. People who are still studying and higher educated respondents tend to evaluate 
market performance more positively than lower educated persons. The lowest edu-
cated respondents tend to give above-average scores to the markets for somewhat 
cheaper  fast  moving  retail  goods  and  significantly  lower  scores  to  those  for  more 
expensive goods, such as new cars, clothing and footwear, fuel for vehicles, and fur-
niture  and  furnishings.  As  regards  services,  the  lowest  educated  group  appears  to 
have more negative experiences with more complicated markets (such as the four 
banking services, real estate services, and legal and accountancy services).

The  survey  distinguishes  between  eight  occupational  groups:  the  self-employed, 
managers,  white  collar  workers  other  than  managers  and  the  self-employed,  blue 
collar workers, students, house persons (not in paid employment, taking care of the 
home), the unemployed, and retired people. Three groups – blue collar workers and, 
in  particular,  the  self-employed  and  the  unemployed  –  stand  out  as  giving  more 
negative  market  evaluations.  The  two  latter  groups  evaluate  29  and  27  markets, 
respectively,  more  negatively  than  the  average.  These  markets  include  the  bank-
ing services cluster, real estate services, and legal and accountancy services. Blue 
collar and unemployed respondents also have lower levels of education than other 
occupational  groups,  which  could  have  implications  for  the  number  of  problems 
encountered, choices made and the level of trust in providers. These groups could 
also be more subject to budgetary limitations in making their consumer choices. In 
the case of self-employed workers, the lower market assessment could perhaps be 
linked to higher expectations and a greater degree of empowerment (as suggested 
by the higher level of education of this group of respondents). However, these hy-
potheses require further research.

The  performance  of  14  markets  is  given  a  significantly  more  negative  evaluation 
by  consumers  who  do  not  use  the  internet  for  private  purposes.  This  group  gives 
above-average scores to three markets, including those for postal services and mo-
bile phone services, which they perhaps use more often. 

The  results  suggest  that  certain  types  of  market  may  be  particularly  problematic 
for  potentially  more  vulnerable  consumer  groups.  For  instance,  some  more  com-
plicated  services  markets  (banking  services  cluster,  real  estate  services,  legal  and 
accountancy  services)  are  rated  consistently  lower  by  more  disadvantaged  socio-
demographic groups (those with lower education, lower occupation status, and not 
using the internet).

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Table 2: MPI broken down according to socio-demographic indicators

Gender

Age

Education

Occupation

e

l

a
M

e

l

a
m
e
F

y
4
3
–
8
1

y
4
5
–
5
3

y
+
5
5

y
5
1

o
t

p
U

y
9
1
–
6
1

y
+
0
2

g
n

i

y
d
u
t
s

l
l
i
t
S

d
e
y
o

l

p
m
e
-
f
l

e
S

r
e
g
a
n
a
M

r
a

l
l

o
c

e
t
i

h
w

r
e
h
t
O

r
a

l
l

o
c

e
u

l

B

s
t
n
e
d
u
t
S

n
o
s
r
e
p
-
e
s
u
o
H

d
e
y
o

l

p
m
e
n
U

d
e
r
i
t
e
R

15

e
s
u

t
e
n
r
e
t
n

i

e
t
a
v

i
r
p

o
N

All markets 2012 

Goods markets

Fruit and vegetables

Meat and meat products

Bread, cereals, rice & pasta

Non-alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic drinks

Clothing and footwear

Maintenance products

Furniture and furnishings

Electronic products

Large household appliances

Small household appliances

ICT products

Entertainment goods

New cars

Second hand cars

Fuel for vehicles

Books, magazines and newspapers

Personal care products

Non prescription medicines

Spectacles and lenses

Dairy products

Services markets

Real estate services

Maintenance services

76.8

78.1

77.9

77.2

77.6

77.4

77.2

77.7

78.0

75.1

77.7

77.9

77.1

78.2

78.1

75.6

78.1

77.4

-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-

-

+
+
+

+

+

+

+

+
-

+

+

-

-

-

-

+

+

+

+
+
+

-

-

-

+

-

+
+
+

-
-
-
-
-
-

-

-

+

-

-

+

-

-

-

+
-

-

-

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

-

-
-
-

-

-
-

-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-
-

-

+
+
+

-

-

-

-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-

-

+
-

+
+

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16

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Gender

Age

Education

Occupation

y
4
5
–
5
3

+
-
-

-

y
4
3
–
8
1

-

+

+
+

e

l

a
M

-

-

-
-
-

-
-

e

l

a
m
e
F

+

+

+

+

+
+

y
5
1

o
t

p
U

+
-
-

-

-

+

+

+

-

-
-
-

y
+
5
5

+

-

+

-
+

+

-
-
+

-

+

y
9
1
–
6
1

y
+
0
2

-

+

+

g
n

i

y
d
u
t
s

l
l
i
t
S

-

+
-
-

+

-

+
+

d
e
y
o

l

p
m
e
-
f
l

e
S

-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-

-

r
e
g
a
n
a
M

+

-

r
a

l
l

o
c

e
u

l

B

-

-

r
a

l
l

o
c

e
t
i

h
w

r
e
h
t
O

+

+
+

+

+

+

-

s
t
n
e
d
u
t
S

-

+
-

-

+
+

n
o
s
r
e
p
-
e
s
u
o
H

+

+

+

+
+

+

d
e
y
o

l

p
m
e
n
U

-
-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-

-
-
-

d
e
r
i
t
e
R

+

-
+
+

+

-
-
+
+

+

e
s
u

t
e
n
r
e
t
n

i

e
t
a
v

i
r
p

o
N

+

-

-
+

+

-

-
-

-

-

Personal care services

Vehicle maintenance and repair

Bank accounts

Investment products, private pensions 
and securities

Home insurance

Vehicle insurance

Postal services

Fixed telephone services

Mobile telephone services

Internet provision

Tram, local bus, metro

Train services

Airline services

Vehicle rental services

Holiday accommodation

Packaged holidays & tours

Cafés, bars and restaurants

Commercial sport services

Culture and entertainment

Gambling & lottery services

Water supply

Electricity services

Gas services

Mortgages

Private life insurance

TV-subscriptions

Legal & accountancy services

Loans, credit & credit cards

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17

2.4.  MARKET ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS

Figures 6 to 16 present the EU-level results of the 2012 market monitoring survey 
on individual indicators, weighted according to the size of each country’s population. 
The  EU27  averages  for  each  indicator  are  based  on  all  countries  and  all  markets 
taken together. The rating for ‘comparability’, ‘trust’, ‘satisfaction’, ‘choice’ and ‘ease 
of switching’ is based on a scale of 0 to 10. In order to make the presentation of 
results more intelligible, the scores are regrouped into three categories: score 0–4 
(low  rating),  score  5–7  (average  rating)  and  score  8–10  (high  rating).  The  differ-
ences from 2011 are also reported (those that are not bolded are not statistically 
significant, at 0.05 level).

2.4.1.  Comparability

The  comparability  indicator  measures  consumers’  ability  to  understand  and  com-
pare  different  offers  and  thus  make  informed  choices.  Complexity  and  opacity  in 
product  characteristics,  prices  and  marketing  strategies  will  make  it  difficult  for 
consumers  to  shop  around  for  the  ‘best’  deal,  causing  consumer  detriment  at  an 
individual level but also reducing rivalry among competitors and thus overall eco-
nomic  efficiency.20  The  comparability  component  shows  a  high  correlation  (0.72) 
with the overall market performance index.

Taking  all  markets  together,  the  average  score  for  comparability  (7.3)  is  0.1  point 
higher than the 2011 average, confirming the slight positive trend observed in last 
year’s  results.  Just  over  half  of  all  consumers  (56 %)  rate  this  component  as  very 
good while 11 % consider it very poor.

Consumers find it considerably more difficult to compare services than to compare 
goods, giving average comparability scores of 7.0 and 7.7 respectively. This may be 
explained  inter  alia  by  the  greater  complexity  of  service  offers  as  regards  tariffs, 
bundles and numerous contractual terms which hamper consumers’ ability to make 
informed comparisons.

Banking  services  and  utilities  are  by  far  the  worst  performing  clusters  within  this 
component,  with  a  fifth  of  consumers  finding  it  very  difficult  to  compare  invest-
ment products, water supply, electricity services and mortgages. These results are 
in  line  with  findings  from  in-depth  studies  on  current  bank  accounts,21  retail  in-
vestments22 and the retail electricity sector23 which showed that many consumers 
struggle  with  price  comparison  and  find  it  difficult  to  choose  the  best  deal.  They 
also  suggested  that  good  design  for  information  disclosure  can  considerably  im-
prove consumer decision-making. 

Among  goods  markets,  comparison  was  deemed  hardest  for  ‘second-hand  cars’, 
‘non-prescription medicines’, and ‘fuel for vehicles’, as was the case in 2011.

As  compared  with  2011,  average  scores  on  comparability  have  increased  or  re-
mained stable for all markets except for ‘postal services’, where there has been a 
slight decrease (0.1 point). The highest increases (+0.3 points) are recorded in the 
markets for ‘TV subscriptions’, ‘internet provision’, ‘gambling and lottery’ and ‘fruit 
and vegetables’.

The markets for ‘spectacles and lenses’, ‘non-prescription medicines’, ‘water supply’, 
‘postal services’ and ‘legal and accountancy services’ are rated lower on compara-
bility than for the overall market performance ranking. In contrast, the markets for 
‘ICT  products’,  ‘fruit  and  vegetables’,  ‘small  household  appliances’,  ‘internet  provi-
sion’,  ‘mobile  telephone  services’,  ‘TV  subscriptions’  and  ‘real  estate  services’  rank 
higher on this component than in the MPI index.

From the regional perspective, comparability is rated lower in Northern and South-
ern European countries, but higher than the EU27 average in Eastern and Western 
European  countries.  In  the  telecom  and  insurance  markets,  in  particular,  a  lower 
score  is  recorded  for  this  component  in  the  Northern  European  region,  while  the 
highest scores are found in Eastern European countries.

20  OFT’s  market  study  into  the  advertising  of  prices,  2009  –  http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/markets-

work/advertising-prices.

21

22

23

Data collection for prices of current accounts provided to consumers, Study on behalf of the European 
Commission,  Directorate  General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2009  –  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/
strategy/docs/prices_current_accounts_report_en.pdf.

Consumer  Decision-Making  in  Retail  Investment  Services:  A  Behavioural  Economics  Perspective, 
Study  on  behalf  of  the  European  Commission,  Directorate  General  for  Health  and  Consumers  – 
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/docs/final_report_en.pdf.

The functioning of retail electricity markets for consumers in the European Union, Study on behalf of 
the  European  Commission,  Directorate-General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2010  –  http://ec.europa.
eu/consumers/consumer_research/market_studies/docs/retail_electricity_full_study_en.pdf.

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18

Figure 6: Comparability

On a scale from 0 to 10, how diﬃcult or easy was it to compare <the services/products> sold by 
diﬀerent <suppliers/retailers>?

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

EU27 – all markets

11 % 

33 % 

Small household appliances²
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Large household appliances²
Fruit and vegetables¹
Alcoholic drinks ¹
Entertainment goods²
Dairy products¹
Electronic products²
Maintenance products²
Personal care products¹
EU27-goods markets
ICT products²
Furniture and furnishings²
Spectacles and lenses²
Meat and meat products¹
New cars³
Clothing and footwear¹
Fuel for vehicles³
Non prescription medicines¹
Second hand cars³

Personal care services
Holiday accommodation⁴
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Airline services⁵
Culture and entertainment⁴
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Commercial sport services⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Vehicle insurance⁶
Vehicle rental services
Home insurance⁶
TV-subscriptions⁷
Internet provision⁷
Fixed telephone services⁷
EU27-services markets
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Mobile telephone services⁷
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Postal services⁸
Bank accounts⁹
Legal and accountancy services
Real estate services
Private life insurance⁶
Gas services⁸
Train services⁵
Electricity services⁸
Mortgages⁹
Water supply⁸
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹

4 % 
4 % 
5 % 
5 % 
5 % 
6 % 
5 % 
5 % 
6 % 
5 % 
5 % 
7 % 
7 % 
7 % 
6 % 
8 % 
7 % 
7 % 
9 % 
14 % 
13 % 
11 % 

7 % 
6 % 
6 % 
6 % 
7 % 
8 % 
8 % 
6 % 
11 % 
8 % 
11 % 
11 % 
12 % 
12 % 
13 % 
15 % 
16 % 
15 % 
13 % 
15 % 
16 % 
17 % 
17 % 
14 % 
17 % 
18 % 
19 % 
23 % 
19 % 
23 % 
23 % 

27 % 
27 % 
27 % 
27 % 
26 % 
27 % 
28 % 
29 % 
28 % 
29 % 
31 % 
30 % 
30 % 
29 % 
32 % 
28 % 
32 % 
32 % 
34 % 
29 % 
32 % 
38 % 

28 % 
29 % 
30 % 
31 % 
31 % 
31 % 
32 % 
35 % 
33 % 
37 % 
37 % 
38 % 
36 % 
37 % 
35 % 
33 % 
33 % 
36 % 
38 % 
37 % 
37 % 
38 % 
38 % 
45 % 
41 % 
37 % 
34 % 
33 % 
43 % 
33 % 
42 % 

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

0–4

5–7 8–10

56 %

69 %
69 %
68 %
68 %
69 %
67 %
67 %
66 %
66 %
66 %
64 %
63 %
64 %
63 %
62 %
64 %
60 %
62 %
57 %
57 %
55 %
51 %

66 %
65 %
64 %
63 %
62 %
61 %
60 %
59 %
57 %
54 %
52 %
51 %
52 %
50 %
51 %
52 %
52 %
50 %
48 %
48 %
48 %
45 %
45 %
41 %
42 %
45 %
47 %
43 %
38 %
44 %
35 %

7.3

8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.8
7.7
7.7
7.7
7.7
7.7
7.6
7.6
7.5
7.2
7.2
7.1

7.8
7.8
7.8
7.7
7.6
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.3
7.3
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
6.9
6.8
6.8
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.5
6.3
6.3
6.2
6.1

0.1

0.2
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.1
0.1

0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.3
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.3
0.3
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2
-0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.1

As for the different socio-demographic groups, women tend to be more positive in 
their  evaluation  of  comparability.  However,  the  market  groups  where  spending  is 
more likely to be at household level, such as utilities, insurance services or automo-
tive  goods,  show  no  significant  differences.  Of  the  different  age  groups,  younger 
people give the highest scores, in particular for telecoms, transport and recreational 
services, which are perhaps the markets they use more often. 

Distinguishing  according  to  degree  of  education,  students  are  most  positive  over-
all. The lowest educated consumers give a particularly low assessment of banking 
services, which might be due to their complexity. 

In  general,  house-persons  evaluate  comparability  higher  than  other  occupation 
groups,  while  self  employed  people  are  less  positive.  People  who  do  not  use  the 
internet for private reasons find it harder to compare (semi-)durable goods, bank-
ing services, automotive goods and recreational services – arguably markets where 
products and services are often compared via the internet.

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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19

2.4.2.  Trust

The trust component measures the extent to which consumers feel confident that 
businesses comply with consumer protection rules. Consumer trust is fundamental 
to  well-functioning  markets  –  as  Kenneth  Arrow  observed,  ‘virtually  every  com-
mercial transaction has within itself an element of trust’.24 Proper enforcement of 
consumer  legislation  is  also  of  crucial  importance  to  protect  reputable  businesses 
from  unfair  competition.  Trust  has  a  very  high  correlation  with  MPI  scores  (0.8), 
indicating that if trust is high in a market the overall performance of that market is 
likely to be positive as well.

Consumers’ trust in suppliers’ compliance with consumer protection rules has seen a 
slight but steady increase over the past three years. However, with an average score 
of 6.9, trust is still the lowest scoring of the four components included in the MPI. 
In 2012, less than half of respondents (47 %) expressed a high level of trust while 
13 % are not confident of businesses’ compliance with consumer protection rules.

Trust in goods market retailers is clearly higher than in service suppliers, with aver-
age scores of 7.1 and 6.7 respectively. In particular, ongoing services score low on 
trust, with all banking, telecom and insurance services, and the markets for electric-
ity and gas, ranked below average. Poor compliance with consumer protection legis-
lation in the banking sector was confirmed by the EU-wide ‘sweep’ investigation25 of 
websites offering consumer credit, which was carried out in September 2011.

Among  goods  markets,  ‘second-hand  cars’  and  ‘fuel  for  vehicles’  have  by  far  the 
worst scores for a third year in a row. The market for second-hand cars has the low-
est score for trust of all surveyed markets, which may in part be explained by the 
problems of asymmetric information typical for this market.26 It is, however, worth 
mentioning that trust is actually increasing. Whereas last year consumers who gave 
a  poor  rating  outnumbered  those  who  gave  a  very  good  rating,  this  balance  has 
shifted to the positive side in 2012.

The average score on trust has seen a slight (less than 0.1 point), statistically sig-
nificant decline for only two of the 51 markets surveyed: ‘gas services’ and ‘postal 
services’. The highest increase in this area (+0.4 points) is found in the market for 
TV  subscriptions.  This  may  indicate  that  suppliers  of  TV  subscriptions  are  making 
clearer  and  more  transparent  offers  to  consumers.  In  addition,  an  increase  of  0.2 
points is seen for the market of train services.

Markets  with  a  lower  position  in  the  trust  ranking  than  in  the  overall  MPI  ranking 
include those for ‘alcoholic drinks’, ‘non-alcoholic drinks’, ‘vehicle insurance’, ‘vehicle 
maintenance  and  repair  services’,  ‘loans,  credit  and  credit  cards’  and  ‘home  insur-
ance’. In contrast, the trust component has a positive impact on the MPI score for the 
markets  in  ‘non-prescription  medicines’,  ‘water  supply’,  ‘tram,  local  bus,  metro’,  ‘TV 
subscriptions’, ‘legal and accountancy services’, ‘train services’ and ‘postal services’.

24 

Arrow, Kenneth, Gifts and Exchanges., Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1972, 1, p. 357.

25  A  ‘sweep’  is  an  enforcement  exercise,  coordinated  by  the  Commission,  where  national  enforcement 
authorities  simultaneously  check  websites  in  a  particular  sector  for  breaches  of  EU  consumer  law. 
The national authorities then contact operators about suspected irregularities and ask them to take 
corrective action.

26  Akerlof, George, The Market for ‘Lemons’, 1970.

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20

Figure 7: Trust

On a scale from 0 to 10, to what extent do you trust <suppliers/retailers> to respect the rules 
and regulations protecting consumers?

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

EU27 – all markets

13 %

Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Spectacles and lenses²
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Small household appliances²
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Large household appliances²
Dairy products¹
Entertainment goods²
Non prescription medicines¹
Electronic products²
Maintenance products²
Furniture and furnishings²
Personal care products¹
EU27-goods markets
ICT products²
Fruit and vegetables¹
Alcoholic drinks ¹
Meat and meat products¹
Clothing and footwear¹
New cars³
Fuel for vehicles³
Second hand cars³

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment⁴
Commercial sport services⁴
Postal services⁸
Airline services⁵
Holiday accommodation⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Legal and accountancy services
Vehicle rental services
Water supply⁸
EU27-services markets
Vehicle insurance⁶
Home insurance⁶
TV-subscriptions⁷
Fixed telephone services⁷
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Gas services⁸
Train services⁵
Internet provision⁷
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Private life insurance⁶
Bank accounts⁹
Electricity services⁸
Mobile telephone services⁷
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹
Mortgages⁹

6 %
6 %
7 %
6 %
8 %
7 %
8 %
7 %
10 %
7 %
7 %
7 %
9 %
10 %
9 %
11 %
11 %
12 %
12 %
11 %
23 %
26 %

6 %
5 %
6 %
10 %
8 %
7 %
8 %
10 %
12 %
14 %
14 %
11 %
16 %
15 %
15 %
14 %
15 %
17 %
17 %
15 %
19 %
17 %
17 %
19 %
19 %
22 %
23 %
22 %
23 %
23 %
23 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

0–4 5–7

8–10

41 %

32 %
32 %
35 %
39 %
36 %
39 %
37 %
40 %
34 %
41 %
44 %
43 %
40 %
39 %
43 %
41 %
41 %
40 %
41 %
43 %
40 %
45 %

33 %
39 %
39 %
39 %
42 %
46 %
45 %
45 %
41 %
36 %
39 %
45 %
37 %
42 %
42 %
44 %
45 %
41 %
43 %
45 %
38 %
43 %
45 %
40 %
44 %
38 %
39 %
42 %
45 %
44 %
42 %

46 %

62 %
63 %
58 %
55 %
57 %
54 %
55 %
53 %
56 %
52 %
49 %
50 %
51 %
51 %
48 %
48 %
48 %
48 %
47 %
46 %
37 %
29 %

61 %
56 %
55 %
51 %
50 %
47 %
46 %
46 %
47 %
50 %
48 %
43 %
47 %
44 %
43 %
41 %
40 %
42 %
40 %
40 %
43 %
40 %
38 %
40 %
37 %
40 %
39 %
35 %
32 %
33 %
35 %

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

6.9

0.1

7.7
7.7
7.5
7.4
7.4
7.4
7.3
7.3
7.3
7.3
7.2
7.2
7.2
7.1
7.1
7.0
7.0
7.0
6.9
6.9
6.1
5.7

7.6
7.5
7.4
7.2
7.1
7.1
7.0
7.0
6.9
6.9
6.8
6.8
6.7
6.7
6.7
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.6
6.5
6.5
6.4
6.4
6.4
6.3
6.2
6.2
6.1
6.0
6.0
6.0

0.0
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.0
-0.1
0.1

0.0
0.1
0.1
-0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
-0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
-0.1
0.0
0.4
0.1
0.1
0.0
-0.1
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
-0.1

Trust  is  evaluated  highest  in  Western  and  Northern  European  countries,  while  in 
Eastern  and  Southern  European  countries  it  is  assessed  below  the  EU27  average. 
This difference is particularly visible in the banking markets, which could be related 
to the fact that the banking crisis has hit the latter regions worst.

Looking  at  the  different  socio-demographic  groups,  women,  young  people  and  in-
ternet  users  tend  to  assign  higher  scores  to  trust.  People  with  a  lower  level  of 
education  seem  to  evaluate  trust  more  negatively  than  average  for  the  markets 
in  (semi)-durable  groups,  telecoms,  banking  services,  insurance  services  and  au-
tomotive  goods,  while  students  are  most  positive  overall.  Trust  is  particularly  low 
among self-employed and unemployed people, while managers and other white col-
lar workers give higher trust scores for almost all market groups.

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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2.4.3.  Problems

The problems component captures issues that do not appear in complaints statis-
tics.  It  is  particularly  useful  for  markets  where  consumers  are  discouraged  from 
complaining  because  of  unavailable  or  burdensome  complaint  procedures  or  be-
cause the level of detriment is considered relatively low.

Interestingly,  the  biggest  decrease  in  the  number  of  problems  (4  to  9  percentage 
points) has been recorded in the markets for ‘internet provision’, ‘mobile telephone 
services’  and  ‘TV  subscriptions’  (i.e.  three  of  the  four  markets  with  the  highest 
number  of  problems).  The  markets  with  the  highest  increase  in  problems  encoun-
tered  are  those  for  ‘clothing  and  footwear’  (+3),  ‘tram,  local  bus  and  metro’  and 
‘postal services’ (both +2).

In 2012, 9 % of consumers across the 51 markets reported problems with a serv-
ice/product or supplier/retailer regarding which they thought they had a legitimate 
reason to complain. This represents a drop of 1.5 % and 2 % respectively as com-
pared with 2011 and 2010.27 As with the comparability and trust indicators, goods 
markets again score higher than services markets.

The markets for ‘large household appliances’, ‘small household appliances’, ‘vehicle 
maintenance’ and ‘airline services’ show the biggest drop in their ranking based on 
the problem indicator as compared with the MPI. A positive impact of the problem 
component  on  the  MPI  score  can  be  seen  in  the  markets  for  ‘personal  care  prod-
ucts’, ‘alcoholic drinks’, ‘non prescription medicines’ and ‘fuel for vehicles’.

21

As  can  be  seen  from  Figure  8,  there  are  considerable  differences  in  the  number 
of  problems  consumers  experience  in  different  markets.  Telecom  services  (‘inter-
net provision’, ‘mobile telephone services’ and ‘TV subscriptions’) and train services 
score  the  lowest,  with  up  to  a  fifth  of  consumers  reporting  problems.  A  high  inci-
dence of problems with internet service provision was confirmed by a recent market 
study, which estimated total consumer detriment at between EUR 1.4 and 3.9 billion 
per annum.28 In the goods markets, consumers are most likely to experience prob-
lems with ‘second-hand cars’, ‘clothing and footwear’ and ‘ICT products’. 

27 

28

The question on problems was slightly reformulated in 2012.

Internet service provision from a consumer perspective, Study on behalf of the European Commission, 
Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. (The study has just been finalised and is expected to 
be published in early 2013).

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22

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 8: Problems (percentage of respondents)

Did you experience a problem with <the service/product> or <the supplier/retailer>, where you 
thought you had a legitimate cause for complaint?

EU27 – all markets

9 %

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Alcoholic drinks¹
non-alcoholic drinks¹
Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Personal care products¹
Non prescription medicines¹
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Entertainment goods²
Dairy products¹
Spectacles and lenses²
EU27-goods markets
Fuel for vehicles³
Furniture and furnishings²
Electronic products²
Maintenance products²
Small household appliances²
Large household appliances²
Meat and meat products¹
Fruit and vegetables¹
New cars³
ICT products²
Clothing and footwear¹
Second hand cars³

2 %

3 %
3 %
3 %

3 %

5 %

5 %

6 %

7 %
7 %
7 %
7 %
7 %
7 %
8 %

8 %
8 %

10 %
10 %

12 %

13 %

15 %

Gambling and lottery services⁴
Culture and entertainment⁴
Personal care services
Commercial sport services⁴
Home insurance⁶
Private life insurance⁶
Vehicle insurance⁶
Holiday accommodation⁴
Water supply⁸
Gas services⁸
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Vehicle rental services
Airline services⁵
Mortgages⁹
EU27-services markets
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹
Electricity services⁸
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services⁷
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Postal services⁸
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Bank accounts⁹
Real estate services
TV-subscriptions⁷
Mobile telephone services⁷
Train services⁵
Internet provision⁷

3 %
3 %

4 %

5 %

5 %

7 %
7 %

7 %

8 %

8 %

9 %
9 %

10 %
10 %
10 %

10 %
11 %
11 %

11 %

12 %

13 %
13 %
13 %
13 %
13 %
13 %

15 %

17 %

17 %

18 %

20 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

■ Yes

diﬀ
2012
2011

-1.5

-1.8
0.0
-1.0
-1.3
-1.7
0.2
-1.0
1.4
-0.7
-0.8
0.6
-2.7
-2.9
-1.4
-1.0
-2.1
0.6
1.7
-3.5
-1.1
2.8
-2.8

-0.5
-0.3
-0.9
-3.1
-1.1
-1.7
-0.6
-2.7
-1.4
-1.4
-3.2
1.0
-0.3
-2.4
-3.1
-2.0
-3.2
-3.0
-2.3
-1.4
-2.3
2.0
1.8
-2.1
-3.9
-3.1
-1.9
-8.9
-4.3
-0.3
-6.1

From  a  socio-demographic  perspective,  young  people,  the  unemployed,  the  self-
employed  and  blue  collar  workers  seem  to  encounter  most  problems.  This  could 
be  related  to  the  fact  that  these  groups  may  choose  products  of  lower  price  and 
quality due to budgetary constraints. A possible explanation for a higher incidence 
of  reported  problems  among  younger  respondents  could  be  that  they  are  less  ex-
perienced  consumers  and  therefore  more  likely  to  consider  difficulties  in  specific 
markets  as  problems.  Men  tend  to  experience  more  problems  than  women,  with 
statistically significant differences for the banking services and automotive goods. 
This may be because, according to traditional gender roles, men tend to deal with 
issues regarding banking and, for instance, the family car.

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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23

Figure 9 presents, by market, the parties to which consumers complained.30 In the 
goods markets, consumers are most likely to complain about ‘new cars’, followed by 
‘ICT  products’.  Fast-moving  consumer  goods  such  as  ‘non-alcoholic  drinks’  are  the 
least likely to attract consumer complaints. It therefore appears that the likelihood 
of  complaining  is  linked  to  the  monetary  value  of  the  goods  involved.  In  addition, 
the availability of a warranty on the goods purchased might also play a role since 
the complaint could in some cases be made together with the request to have the 
problem  fixed  under  the  warranty  conditions.  Among  services  markets,  EU  con-
sumers  are  most  likely  to  complain  about  telecom  services  (the  five  markets  with 
the largest number of complaints include ‘fixed telephone services’, ‘internet provi-
sion’,  ‘mobile  telephone  services’  and  ‘TV  subscriptions’)  and  house  maintenance 
services. In contrast, they are least likely to voice a complaint about ‘gambling and 
lottery’  and  ‘tram,  local  bus  and  metro’.  The  market  for  ‘legal  and  accountancy’ 
services clearly tends to generate the highest number of complaints to an ‘official’ 
third party.

2.4.4.   Complaints

The complaints indicator captures the severity of a problem, given that more time 
and  effort  is  needed  to  complain  to  an  official  body  than  to  family  or  friends. 
At  the  same  time,  the  fact  that  consumers  do  complain  when  they  experience 
problems  is  an  important  feedback  mechanism  for  businesses,  allowing  them  to 
improve  their  performance,  and  provides  useful  information  to  authorities  about 
where  policy  intervention  may  be  needed.  The  component  of  problems  and  com-
plaints  has  a  somewhat  lower  correlation  with  the  overall  MPI  scores  (0.6)  than 
other MPI components.

Three quarters (76 %) of consumers who encountered a problem complained about 
it  to  the  company,  a  complaint  body,  friends  or  family.  Consumers’  propensity  to 
complain  has  dropped  considerably  for  both  goods  and  services  markets  as  com-
pared with 2011 (81 %) and 2010 (79 %).

For  all  goods  and  services  markets,  by  far  the  most  likely  party  to  be  addressed 
is  the  seller  of  the  product  or  the  provider  of  the  service,  i.e.  the  immediate  and 
known  point  of  contact  (approached  by  60 %  of  respondents  who  encountered  a 
problem). Only 5 % of those who had a problem addressed their complaint directly 
to a manufacturer.29 Complaints addressed to a third party such as a public author-
ity, consumer organisation or ombudsman remain rare (7 %) and are more likely to 
occur in services markets (9 % as against 4 % in goods markets). Finally, almost a 
third of consumers (31 %) shared their problems with friends and family, confirming 
the importance of ‘word-of-mouth’ in reporting bad experiences.

29 

The answer option ‘to a manufacturer’ was possible only for the following services markets: ‘house 
and garden maintenance services’, ‘personal care services’, ‘vehicle maintenance and repair services’, 
‘fixed telephone services’, ‘mobile telephone services’ and ‘internet provision’. The question was asked 
for all goods markets except that for ‘vehicle fuels’.

30  Due to the low numbers of consumers who say they have experienced a problem in a given market, 
no comparisons regarding complaint behaviour are made between 2012 and 2011, as the margin of 
error is too high.

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Figure 9:  Complaints (as percentage of consumers who experienced a problem)

Have you complained about <this problem/one of these problems>?

TOTAL
complained
in 2012

diﬀ
2012
2011

EU27 – all markets

7 % 60 %

4 % 

31 %

76 %

-5.1

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Non prescription medicines¹
Fuel for vehicles³
Fruit and vegetables¹
Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Personal care products¹
Meat and meat products¹
Alcoholic drinks¹
Dairy products¹
EU27-goods markets
Furniture and furnishings²
Maintenance products²
Entertainment goods²
Second hand cars³
Clothing and footwear²
Spectacles and lenses²
Small household appliances²
Electronic products²
Large household appliances²
ICT products²
New cars³

1 % 32 % 2 % 
3 % 43 %
4 % 36 %
2 % 44 %
4 % 45 %
1 % 41 %
4 % 39 %
2 % 49 %
4 % 44 %
1 % 45 %
4 % 54 %
2 % 59 %
3 % 58 %
5 % 60 %
6 % 62 %
3 % 63 %
2 % 68 %
3 % 65 %
6 % 66 %
5 % 67 %
6 % 70 %
8 % 73 %

Gambling and lottery services⁴
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Personal care services
Gas services⁸
Train services⁵
Legal and accountancy services
Real estate services
Vehicle rental services
Postal services⁸
Vehicle insurance⁶
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹
Mortgages⁹
Home insurance⁶
EU27-services markets
Electricity services⁸
Water supply⁸
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Private life insurance⁶
Holiday accommodation⁴
Airline services⁵
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Culture and entertainment⁴
Bank accounts⁹
Commercial sport services⁴
TV-subscriptions⁷
Mobile telephone services⁷
Maintenance services
Internet provision⁷
Fixed telephone services⁷

7 %
8 %
4 %
9 %
7 %
18 %
15 %
5 %
8 %
7 %
13 %
12 %
9 %
9 %
7 %
14 %
10 %
11 %
6 %
12 %
10 %
4 %
4 %
10 %
9 %
7 %
5 % 
8 % 
9 %
6 %
6 %

35 %
37 %
46 %
58 %
47 %
50 %
54 %
61 %
62 %
66 %
59 %
58 %
63 %
60 %
63 %
57 %
62 %
60 %
62 %
60 %
65 %
64 %
64 %
51 %
70 %
66 %
73 %
71 %
64 %
77 %
75 %

30 %

6 % 

9 % 

2 % 

5 % 

3 % 

3 % 

3 % 
5 % 

26 %

36 %
30 %
20 %
32 %
33 %

32 %

31 %

33 %

8 % 

11 % 
9 % 
6 % 

5 % 

5 % 

30 %
24 %

32 %
33 %

33 %

31 %

5 % 

9 % 

23 %

29 %

17 % 

19 % 

18 % 

29 %
27 %

31 %

22 % 

32 %

19 %

29 %

2 % 

32 %

27 %

36 %

32 %

34 %

32 %
28 %

30 %
31 %
34 %

28 %
32 %
30 %

32 %
33 %

27 %

34 %

37 %
32 %
33 %

34 %
42 %

35 %

32 %
28 %

2 % 

7 % 

11 %  

12 % 

10 % 
11 % 

33 %

35 %

32 %

30 %

58 %
59 %
62 %
62 %
63 %
63 %
66 %
67 %
68 %
70 %
72 %
73 %
75 %
77 %
77 %
77 %
78 %
78 %
81 %
82 %
84 %
86 %

54 %
58 %
67 %
70 %
70 %
74 %
74 %
75 %
75 %
75 %
75 %
75 %
76 %
76 %
76 %
76 %
76 %
77 %
77 %
78 %
79 %
79 %
79 %
79 %
79 %
80 %
82 %
82 %
83 %
86 %
86 %

-10.7
-24.7
-12.6
-7.9
-17.9
-15.3
-14.5
-9.7
-14.3
-3.6
-7.7
-13.1
-1.4
-1.2
-2.5
-3.7
-0.2
-3.3
1.0
-1.7
-3.3
-0.9

-23.5
-4.4
-10.8
-13.2
2.8
-2.3
-8.5
-6.6
-3.3
-6.7
-4.3
-7.0
-4.1
-4.2
-5.0
-2.5
-5.8
-0.1
-3.8
1.4
0.2
-1.9
0.0
11.5
-8.5
2.2
-6.7
-6.3
-1.1
-5.3
-1.0

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

Yes – third party  Yes – retailer/provider

Yes – manufacturer  Yes – friends/family

There  is  a  moderate  positive  correlation  (of  0.5,  significant  at  0.05  level)  between 
the  number  of  problems  experienced  and  complaints  made  by  consumers,  i.e.  the
markets  with  most  problems  (such  as  telecom  markets)  tend  to  record  the  big-
gest number of complaints (Figure 10). The gap between problems and complaints 
is  widest  in  the  ‘train  services’  and  ‘tram,  local  bus  and  metro’  services  markets, 
both of which record an above average number of problems (second highest in the 
case  of  ‘train  services’)  but  considerably  fewer  complaints  (second  lowest  in  the
case  of  local  public  transport).  This  could  indicate  that  consumers  do  not  believe 
that  problems  can  be  satisfactorily  solved,  perceive  the  complaint  process  as  too 
complex and burdensome, and/or assess that the financial harm is relatively slight. 
There may also be a ‘collective action’ dilemma, i.e. consumers counting on others 
to complain about problems affecting multiple individuals.

A  statistically  significant  increase  in  the  percentage  of  complaints  as  compared
with  2011  can  be  noted  in  only  two  of  the  51  surveyed  markets.  The  number  of 
complaints  has  increased  considerably  (by  11.5  percentage  points)  in  the  ‘culture
and  entertainment  services’  market.  The  rate  of  complaints  made  by  consumers 
who  encountered  problems  in  the  markets  for  ‘non  prescription  medicines’  and 
‘gambling and lottery services’, on the other hand, fell considerably (−25 and 23.5 
points respectively).

Consumers in Northern and Southern Europe are more likely to complain about the 
problems they encounter in a market, while consumers in Western Europe complain 
significantly  less  than  average.  This  pattern  can  be  found  for  most  types  of  mar-
kets, except for recreational services markets, where no significant differences were
found between the different regions. There are no clear socio-demographic patterns 
in consumers’ propensity to complain.

1

2

3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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25

  1  Private life insurance
  2  Vehicle insurance
  3  Maintenance products
  4  Spectacles and lenses
  5  Small household 

appliances
  6  Water supply
  7  Holiday accomodation
  8  Mortgages
  9  Investment products, etc.
10  Loans, credit, etc.
11  Electricity services
12  Packaged holidays

Fixed telephone 
services

Internet provision

Maintenance service

Mobile telephone 
service

TV-subscriptions

Bank accounts

Clothing and 
footwear

Second hand cars

Postal service

Real estate service

Train service

Figure 10: Correlation between percentages of problems and complaints

New cars

85 %

80 %

75 %

70 %

65 %

60 %

55 %

2
1
0
2
s
t
n

i

a

l
p
m
o
c

f
o
%

Commercial sport 
service

Culture and 
entertainment

Entertainment goods 

Home insurance

Large household 
appliances

ICT products

Electronic products

Cafés, bars 
and restaurants

Vehicle maintenance 
and repair

4

7

5

6

1

2

3

12

Airline service

11

10

8

Furniture and 
furnishings

9

Vehicle rental 
service

Legal and 
accountancy service

Gas service

Dairy products

Personal care 
service

Meat and meat products

Alcoholic drinks

Personal care 
products

Books, magazine 
and newspapers

Bread, cereals, rice 
and pasta

Fuel for vehicles

Non prescription medicines

Non-alcoholic drinks

Fruit and vegetables

Tram, local bus, metro

Gambling and lottery service

50 %

0 %

5 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

10 %

% of problems 2012

15 %

20 %

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2.4.5.  Overall satisfaction

The ‘satisfaction’ component measures the extent to which different markets meet 
consumers’ expectations. It gives an overall assessment by the consumer, capturing 
the aspects not picked up by specific indicators. It has a high correlation (0.8) with 
the overall MPI score.

Nearly  60 %  of  EU  consumers  state  that,  overall,  the  markets  surveyed  live  up  to 
their  expectations  (score  8–10).  The  average  score  for  this  component  (7.5)  has 
been stable over the past three years.

Goods  markets  score  better  on  this  component  (as  with  all  other  components) 
than  services  markets,  with  average  scores  of  7.8  and  7.3  respectively.  Among 
the former, the highest satisfaction scores are assigned to ‘spectacles and lenses’, 
‘books,  magazines  and  newspapers’  and  ‘large  household  appliances’.  Consumers 
are least satisfied with ‘fuels for vehicles’ and ‘second-hand cars’. Among services 
markets, ‘personal care services’ and recreational services (‘culture and entertain-
ment’, ‘holiday accommodation’, ‘commercial sport services’, ‘package holidays and 
tours’) score highest, while ‘investments, pensions, securities’, ‘mortgages’ and ‘real 
estate services’ score lowest.

The biggest improvement in score is registered in the markets for ‘fruit and vegeta-
bles’, ‘train services’ and ‘TV subscriptions’, all of which improved by 0.2 points. Only 
five  markets  show  a  decrease,  of  around  0.1  point,  in  average  score  since  2011: 
those for ‘tram, local bus, metro’, ‘gas services’, ‘postal services’, ‘fuel for vehicles’ 
and ‘vehicle rental’.

As compared with their position in the MPI ranking, the markets for ‘electronic prod-
ucts’, ‘new cars’, ‘mobile telephone services’, ‘water supply’ and ‘internet provision’ 
score better in terms of satisfaction. The markets with a lower position on satisfac-
tion than on the overall MPI include those for ‘maintenance products’, ‘bread, cere-
als, rice and pasta’, ‘tram, local bus, metro’ and especially the market for ‘gambling 
and lottery services’. The isolated low score for the latter might be explained by the 
nature of the market (low chance of having one’s expectations fulfilled).

Consumers in Southern and Eastern European countries are considerably less likely 
to  think  that  markets  ‘deliver’  to  the  desired  level,  while  consumers  in  Western 
Europe are more positive in this regard. These regional differences are most striking 
for the banking and insurance markets.

Men, middle aged persons, people with a lower level of education, respondents not 
using the internet, the self-employed, the unemployed and blue-collar workers are 
less likely to state that their expectations have been fulfilled. It is noteworthy that 
the  groups  who  give  a  low  score  for  the  expectations  component  are  largely  the 
same as those who report encountering most problems on average. These two find-
ings could be related and might either indicate vulnerability or that these consumer 
groups actually have higher expectations. In contrast, the younger and oldest (55+) 
age groups, together with higher-educated respondents, seem to see their expecta-
tions  fulfilled  more  often  than  average.  In  markets  where  spending  occurs  more 
often at individual rather than household level (fast-moving retail markets, (semi-)
durable  goods,  banking  services  and  recreational  services),  women  report  signifi-
cantly higher scores than men for having their expectations fulfilled.

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27

Figure 11: Overall satisfaction

On a scale from 0 to 10, to what extent did <the services/products> on oﬀer from diﬀerent 
<suppliers/retailers> live up to what you wanted within <the past period>?

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

EU27 – all markets

7 %

Spectacles and lenses²
Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Large household appliances²
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Small household appliances²
Electronic products²
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Entertainment goods²
Dairy products¹
Furniture and furnishings²
Alcoholic drinks¹
Personal care products¹
Non prescription medicines¹
New cars³
EU27-goods markets
ICT products²
Maintenance products²
Fruit and vegetables¹
Meat and meat products¹
Clothing and footwear¹
Second hand cars³
Fuel for vehicles³

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment⁴
Holiday accommodation⁴
Commercial sport services⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Airline services⁵
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle insurance⁶
Postal services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Water supply⁸
Fixed telephone services⁷
Maintenance services
Home insurance⁶
EU27-services markets
Legal and accountancy services
Mobile telephone services⁷
Internet provision⁷
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Gas services⁸
TV-subscriptions⁷
Tram, local bus, metro⁵
Bank accounts⁹
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Electricity services⁸
Private life insurance⁶
Train services⁵
Real estate services
Mortgages⁹
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹

4 %
3 %
3 %
4 %
3 %
3 %
3 %
3 %
4 %
3 %
4 %
3 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
3 %
5 %
5 %
6 %
9 %
14 % 

4 %
2 %
3 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
5 %
7 %
8 %
8 %
10 %
8 %
7 %
6 %
9 %
9 %
9 %
9 %
9 %
10 %
10 %
11 %
11 %
13 %
13 %
9 %
15 %
14 %
14 %
16 %

34 %

24 %
26 %
26 %
27 %
28 %
27 %
28 %
30 %
29 %
31 %
30 %
32 %
31 %
29 %
31 %
31 %
35 %
35 %
35 %
36 %
38 %
35 %

26 %
29 %
30 %
31 %
31 %
33 %
36 %
35 %
34 %
34 %
35 %
33 %
35 %
38 %
40 %
37 %
36 %
37 %
39 %
37 %
38 %
40 %
39 %
38 %
35 %
36 %
45 %
40 %
45 %
45 %
48 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

0–4 5–7

8–10

59 %

73 %
71 %
71 %
69 %
69 %
70 %
69 %
67 %
68 %
66 %
66 %
65 %
65 %
67 %
65 %
65 %
63 %
60 %
60 %
58 %
52 %
51 %

71 %
68 %
66 %
65 %
65 %
63 %
60 %
60 %
59 %
57 %
57 %
58 %
56 %
55 %
53 %
55 %
55 %
54 %
52 %
53 %
52 %
50 %
50 %
51 %
53 %
51 %
45 %
45 %
41 %
41 %
36 %

7.5

8.2
8.1
8.1
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.8
7.8
7.8
7.8
7.7
7.7
7.6
7.2
7.0

8.1
8.0
7.8
7.8
7.8
7.7
7.7
7.6
7.5
7.5
7.4
7.4
7.4
7.3
7.3
7.3
7.3
7.3
7.2
7.2
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.0
7.0
6.9
6.8
6.6
6.5
6.4

0.0

0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.0
-0.1

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
-0.1
0.0
-0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
-0.1
0.2
-0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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2.4.6.  Choice

Competition  between  different  suppliers  should  provide  firms  with  incentives  to 
deliver what consumers want as efficiently and innovatively as possible, thus guar-
anteeing  lower  prices,  better  quality,  new  products  and  greater  choice.  The  choice 
component assesses the extent to which consumers are content with the choice of 
suppliers  in  each  market  and  thus  reflects  the  level  of  local  competition  as  per-
ceived by consumers.

With  an  average  score  of  7.9,  the  choice  component  receives  the  highest  average 
score  among  all  the  components  included  in  the  survey.  Across  the  48  markets 
surveyed,31 more than two-thirds of EU consumers are satisfied with the choice of 
retailers and providers available to them (score 8–10), while only 7 % express high 
dissatisfaction  (score  0–4)  in  this  respect.  These  results  are  in  line  with  those  in 
2011, when the choice question was first asked.

As  with  all  other  components,  the  choice  of  suppliers  is  evaluated  more  positively 
for  goods  than  for  services  markets  (average  scores  of  8.3  and  7.7  respectively). 
Utilities score by far the lowest, with over a fifth of consumers assessing choice as 
very poor in the markets for ‘gas services’, ‘postal services’ and ‘electricity services’. 
Most of these results are not surprising, given that some of the markets have been 
monopolies  while  others  are  still  dominated  by  one  major  supplier.  Among  goods 
markets, the lowest score is given to the market for ‘fuel for vehicles’, probably re-
flecting the fact that fuel is a commodity with very limited price competition.

The  largest  increases  in  scores  are  for  the  markets  for  ‘fruit  and  vegetables’  and 
‘electricity  services’  (+0.2),  and  the  largest  decreases  for  ‘mortgages’  and  ‘postal 
services’ (−0.2).

Regionally,  the  biggest  differences  in  the  evaluation  of  the  choice  component  can 
be  found  in  the  utilities  markets,  which  are  evaluated  lower  by  consumers  in  East-
ern  and  Southern  European  countries  and  above  average  in  Northern  and  Western 
Europe.

Choice is rated worse by men than by women in markets where more individual and 
less household spending is likely to occur (fast-moving retail, (semi-)durable goods, 
telecom,  and  recreational  services).  Of  the  different  age  groups,  35–54  year  olds 
give the lowest scores. People with the lowest levels of education report less choice, 
especially for banking services and automotive goods services. Self-employed peo-
ple, the unemployed and students are the most critical occupational groups in their 
evaluations of the choice component, while retired people and blue collar workers 
are the most positive. People who use the internet give higher overall scores on the 
choice component, in particular for (semi-)durable goods, banking services, automo-
tive goods and other services.

31 

The choice question was not asked in three markets which are monopolies in the majority of coun-
tries: ‘tram, local bus and metro’, ‘water supply’ and ‘train services’.

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29

Figure 12: Choice

On a scale from 0 to 10, would you say there are enough diﬀerent <suppliers/retailers> 
of <the services/products> you can choose from?

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

EU27 – all markets

7 %

25 %

Alcoholic drinks¹
Personal care products¹
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Small household appliances²
Spectacles and lenses²
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Large household appliances²
Electronic products²
ICT products²
New cars³
Maintenance products²
Dairy products¹
Fruit and vegetables¹
EU27-goods markets
Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Entertainment goods²
Furniture and furnishings²
Meat and meat products¹
Second hand cars³
Clothing and footwear²
Non prescription medicines¹
Fuel for vehicles³

Holiday accommodation⁴
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Personal care services
Vehicle insurance⁶
Home insurance⁶
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Bank accounts⁹
Mobile telephone services⁷
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Private life insurance⁶
Real estate services
Legal and accountancy services
EU27-services markets
Culture and entertainment⁴
Maintenance services
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹
Airline services⁵
Commercial sport services⁴
Internet provision⁷
Fixed telephone services⁷
Vehicle rental services
Mortgages⁹
TV-subscriptions⁷
Electricity services⁸
Postal services
Gas services⁸

18 %
20 %
20 %
21 %
20 %
19 %
21 %
22 %
22 %
22 %
23 %
22 %
22 %
22 %
21 %
24 %
24 %
26 %
27 %
23 %
24 %
24 %

19 %
20 %
20 %
24 %
27 %
22 %
27 %
25 %
25 %
25 %

4 %
3 %
3 %
3 %
3 %
4 %
3 %
3 %
3 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
5 %
4 %
5 %
4 %
5 %
5 %
4 %
7 %
7 %
9 %

2 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
4 %
6 %
4 %
7 %
7 %
7 %
6 %
5 %
7 %
7 %
9 %
9 %
8 %
7 %
9 %
10 %
10 %
10 %
10 %
13 %
17 %
22 %
23 %
23 %

27 %
28 %
28 %
29 %
28 %
29 %
31 %
33 %
30 %
29 %
31 %
32 %
35 %

34 %
32 %
33 %
32 %
35 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

0–4 5–7

8–10

67 %

78 %
77 %
77 %
77 %
77 %
77 %
76 %
75 %
74 %
75 %
74 %
74 %
73 %
74 %
74 %
72 %
71 %
70 %
69 %
70 %
69 %
66 %

79 %
76 %
77 %
72 %
69 %
71 %
69 %
69 %
68 %
68 %
67 %
67 %
66 %
65 %
63 %
62 %
61 %
59 %
61 %
61 %
59 %
58 %
55 %
54 %
51 %
46 %
45 %
42 %

7.9

8.5
8.5
8.5
8.4
8.4
8.4
8.4
8.3
8.3
8.3
8.3
8.3
8.3
8.3
8.2
8.2
8.2
8.1
8.1
8.1
8.0
7.8

8.5
8.4
8.4
8.2
8.1
8.1
8.1
8.0
8.0
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.9
7.8
7.7
7.6
7.6
7.6
7.6
7.6
7.5
7.4
7.3
7.2
6.9
6.4
6.4
6.2

0.0

0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
-0.1

0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
-0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
-0.2
0.1
0.2
-0.2
0.1

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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30

Figure 13: MPI including choice

S
D
O
O
G

Books, magazines and newspapers¹
Non-alcoholic drinks¹
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta¹
Spectacles and lenses²
Small household appliances²
Alcoholic drinks¹
Large household appliances²
Personal care products¹
Dairy products¹
Entertainment goods²
Electronic products²
Maintenance products²
Furniture and furnishings²
Fruit and vegetables¹
Non prescription medicines¹
ICT products²
New cars³
Meat and meat products¹
Clothing and footwear²
Fuel for vehicles³
Second hand cars³

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Holiday accommodation⁴
Culture and entertainment⁴
Cafés, bars and restaurants⁴
Commercial sport services⁴
Packaged holidays & tours⁴
Gambling and lottery services⁴
Airline services⁵
Vehicle insurance⁶
Home insurance⁶
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Legal and accountancy services⁹
Loans, credit and credit cards⁹
Fixed telephone services⁷
Maintenance services
Private life insurance⁶
Mobile telephone services⁷
Bank accounts
Postal services⁸
Internet provision⁷
TV-subscriptions⁷
Real estate services
Gas services⁸
Electricity services⁸
Investment products, private pensions and securities⁹
Mortgages⁹

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

2011

-0.7
0.1
0.5
-0.4
0.5
0.1
0.5
-0.4
-0.8
0.0
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.6
-0.4
0.3
-0.2
0.4
0.0
-1.2
0.1

-0.4
0.3
-0.3
-0.5
-0.3
0.1
0.5
-0.3
-0.6
-0.3
-1.0
0.1
-0.3
0.2
0.3
0.3
-0.3
0.5
0.0
-1.8
1.2
2.7
0.3
-0.6
1.0
-0.3
-0.7

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

1
2
5
3
7
8
10
6
4
9
11
12
14
17
13
16
15
18
19
20
21

1
3
2
4
5
6
9
7
8
10
11
12
13
15
17
18
16
20
19
14
21
26
23
22
27
25
24

           102.9
          102.7
         102.4
         101.9
         101.9
         101.5
         101.5
         101.2
         101.2
         101.1
         101.1
        100.2
        100.0
        99.5
        99.4
       99.3
       98.9
       98.7
      97.3
   94.1
  93.2

               107.5
              105.6
             105.0
             104.3
            104.0
            103.6
            103.1
           103.0
          102.7
          101.7
          100.6
         100.0
        99.5
        99.1
        98.9
        98.8
        98.6
       98.2
       97.9
       97.8
       97.6
      97.0
      96.0
      95.7
     94.6
     94.6
    94.5

As it does not apply to all markets, the choice component is not included in the calcu-
lation of the overall Market Performance Index. However, a separate Market Perform-
ance Index including Choice (MPIc) has been calculated for the relevant markets.

‘Postal services’ appear 8 places lower in the MPIc ranking than in the MPI ranking.
Other markets where the choice component has a negative impact are those for ‘gas
services’  (5  places),  ‘TV  subscriptions’  (−4  places),  ‘airline  services’  (−3  places)  and
‘entertainment goods’ (-3 places). The reverse is true for ‘bank accounts’ (+4 places),
‘mobile telephone services’ (+4 places), ‘private life insurance’ (+3 places), ‘loans, credit
and credit cards’ (+3 places), ‘alcoholic drinks’ and ‘personal care services’ (+3).

1

2

3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

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31

All markets have seen a decrease in the percentage of consumers who switched in 
2012 as compared with 2011. The biggest drop was registered by the ‘TV subscrip-
tions’ market (−5 %).

Consumers in Western Europe tend to switch provider or service less than average, 
while consumers in the rest of the EU tend to switch significantly more than aver-
age. This difference is most evident in the telecom and banking markets.

Switching is more widespread among men, people who are still studying, the self-
employed  and  unemployed  people.  For  the  latter  group,  the  limited  financial  re-
sources and the lower economic value of time could play a role. In addition, younger 
people  tend  to  switch  more  than  other  age  groups,  with  statistically  significant 
differences  for  the  telecom  and  banking  markets.  In  contrast,  older  people  show 
significantly lower switching behaviour for these two markets. People who use the 
internet  for  private  purposes  are  more  likely  to  switch,  in  particular  banking  and 
insurance  services,  perhaps  because  they  can  more  easily  gather  information  on 
different offers available in the market.

2.4.7.  Switching

The switching indicator reflects both the level of choice in a given market and con-
sumers’ ability to make use of it. The switching component is based on measuring 
the level of actual switching and the (perceived) ease of switching, and covers 14 
‘switching  markets’,  i.e.  markets  for  continuous  services  with  a  long-term  contrac-
tual relationship.

Across the 14 markets surveyed, only 13 % of consumers switched provider and/or 
service with the same provider within the reference period.32 This suggests that the 
actual  level  of  competitive  pressure  exercised  by  consumers  may  be  limited.  The 
proportion of ‘switchers’ has decreased by 2 % as compared with 2011 and 2010, 
mainly  due  to  a  drop  in  the  proportion  of  consumers  switching  services  with  the 
same  provider.  In  general,  consumers  are  more  likely  to  switch  between  providers 
(9 %) than between products with the same provider (5 %). This is true for all mar-
kets except mobile telephone services and TV subscriptions, where the proportions 
of consumers in each group are equal. This could reflect some kind of stabilisation 
in tariff plans offered across the different switching markets.

Consumers are most likely to switch in the telecom markets, with 20 % and 17 % of 
consumers  having  switched  provider  or  tariff  in  the  markets  for  mobile  telephone 
services  and  internet  provision  respectively,  and  above-average  switching  rates  in 
the  markets  for  TV  subscriptions  and  fixed  telephone  services.  The  market  for  in-
vestment  products  registers  the  second  highest  rate  of  switching,  making  it  the 
only indicator on which this market scores well above average. At the other end of 
the spectrum, less than a tenth of consumers have switched between providers or 
services in the markets for ‘gas services’, ‘home insurance’ and ‘mortgages’. For the 
latter  market,  the  result  is  not  surprising  as  the  refinancing  of  a  mortgage  could 
also imply the payment of additional fees and in any case its convenience largely 
depends on the interest rates movements.

32 

The reference period was one year, except for ‘bank accounts’, ‘investment products, private pensions 
and securities’, ‘mortgages’, ‘private life insurance’ and ‘loans, credit and credit cards’, where it was 
two years.

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 14: Actual switching

For <services>, have you switched <tariﬀ plan> or <supplier> in <the past period>?

EU27-switching markets   2012
2011
2010

Mobile telephone services⁷   2012
2011
2010

Investments, private pensions and securities⁹   2012
2011
2010

Internet provision⁷   2012
2011
2010

Vehicle insurance⁶   2012
2011
2010

Fixed telephone services⁷   2012
2011
2010

Commercial sport services⁴   2012
2011
2010

TV-subscriptions⁷   2012
2011

Bank accounts⁹   2012
2011
2010

Electricity services⁸   2012
2011
2010

Loans, credit and credit cards⁹   2012
2011

Private life insurance⁶   2012
2011

Mortgages⁹   2012
2011

Home insurance⁶   2012
2011
2010

Gas services⁸   2012
2011
2010

87 %
85 %
85 %

80 %
77 %
78 %

83 %
82 %
76 %

83 %
81 %
82 %

85 %
83 %
85 %

87 %
83 %
84 %

87 %
86 %
85 %

87 %
85 %

88 %
86 %
86 %

89 %
87 %
89 %

90 %
87 %

90 %
89 %

91 %
88 %

91 %
90 %
90 %

91 %
89 %
89 %

5 %
7 %
7 %

11 %
14 %
13 %

8 %
8 %
12 %

8 %
9 %
9 %

3 %
5 %
4 %

6 %
9 %
8 %

3 %
3 %
6 %

7 %
7 %

4 %
6 %
6 %

4 %
6 %
5 %

3 %
6 %

3 %
4 %

9 %
9 %
10 %

11 %
11 %
10 %

12 %
12 %
16 %

10 %
11 %
10 %

13 %
12 %
12 %

8 %
9 %
9 %

11 %
11 %
10 %

7 %
10 %

9 %
10 %
9 %

8 %
8 %
6 %

8 %
8 %

8 %
8 %

5 %
7 %

5 %
6 %

2 %
3 %
3 %

3 %
5 %
4 %

7 %
7 %
7 %

6 %
7 %
7 %

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

No

Yes – goods/services with same provider

Yes – supplier

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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33

Besides actual switching behaviour, respondents were also asked about the ease of 
switching provider, whether or not they had personal experience of this.

In 2012, slightly less than half of consumers (48 %) considered switching provider 
to be easy (score 8–10) while 16 % rate this it as difficult (score 0–4). The average 
score (6.8) is the same as in 2011. However, the number of very high and very low 
scores has slightly increased.

‘Commercial  sport  services’  and  ‘vehicle  insurance’  obtain  the  best  scores  while 
‘mortgages’, ‘gas services’ and ‘electricity services’ are perceived as the markets in 
which  it  is  most  difficult  to  switch.  It  appears  that  services  where  consumers  are 
asked  to  renew  their  contract  after  a  given  period  of  time  are  evaluated  better  in 
this  respect.  In  the  case  of  mortgages  switching  could  also  imply  the  payment  of 
penalties and going through burdensome administrative procedures and this could 
represent  an  important  deterrent.  The  reported  difficulty  in  switching  mortgages 
is  particularly  worrisome  given  the  important  potential  savings  from  mortgage 
switching (in particular for fixed rate mortgages and with falling interest rates).

Consumers who have actually switched their supplier see switching as considerably 
easier than do those who have not, with average scores of 7.5 and 6.7 respectively. 
This  pattern  holds  true  for  all  14  ‘switching’  markets.  The  highest  difference  in 
scores on the perceived and actual ease of switching can be found in the market for 
mortgages, the three insurance markets and gas and electricity services markets.

While on average switching supplier is perceived as being easier by consumers who 
switched than by those who did not, a different pattern emerges for some markets 
when one looks at the proportion of consumers giving the lowest scores (0–4) for 
this  component.  For  five  markets,  the  lowest  scores  are  more  prevalent  among 
consumers  who  did  switch  supplier  than  among  those  who  did  not.  These  include 
four telecom markets and the market for bank accounts. The difficulty of switching 
bank account was confirmed by a recent mystery shopping study33 which found that 
8 out of 10 shoppers faced difficulties when doing this.

Electricity  services  saw  the  largest  increase  in  the  perceived  ease  of  switching  as 
compared  with  2011.  However,  the  scores  given  by  consumers  who  switched  sup-
plier and those who did not have moved in opposite directions. While non-switchers 
perceive that it is easier to switch supplier in this market, those with actual experi-
ence of switching evaluate the market worse than in 2011.

In  general,  switching  is  evaluated  as  significantly  more  difficult  by  consumers  in 
Southern European countries, while consumers in Western and Northern Europe find 
it  easier.  Utilities  such  as  gas  and  electricity  are  seen  as  particularly  poor  in  this 
respect in Eastern European countries.

Ease of switching gets worse overall scores from women and older, lower educated 
and  retired  people,  all  of  whom  tend  to  switch  less  than  average.  It  is  difficult  to 
say  whether  the  different  evaluations  of  this  component  are  due  purely  to  socio-
demographic variables or stem from different switching behaviour between groups. 
As  mentioned  above,  consumers  who  switched  supplier  tend  to  see  switching  as 
easier than those who did not.

33

Consumer  Market  Study  on  the  consumers’  experiences  with  bank  account  switching  with  reference 
to  the  Common  Principles  on  Bank  Account  Switching,  Study  on  behalf  of  the  European  Commis-
sion,  Directorate-General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2012  –  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/
fin_serv_en.htm#fin.

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 15: Perceived ease of switching

On a scale from 0 to 10, how diﬃcult or easy <do you think it was/was it> to switch in 
<the past period>?

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

Commercial sport services⁴

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

10 %

29 %

switched supplier

9 %

15 %

Vehicle insurance⁶

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

8 %

35 %

switched supplier

8 %

16 %

Home insurance⁶

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

10 %

39 %

switched supplier

8 %

14 %

Bank accounts⁹

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Mobile telephone services⁷

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Fixed telephone services⁷

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Private life insurance⁶

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Loans, credit and credit cards⁹

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Electricity services⁸

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Internet provision⁷

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

TV-subscriptions⁷

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Gas services⁸

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

Investment products, private 

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

pensions and securities⁹

switched supplier

Mortgages⁹

switched good/service with same provider or didn’t switch

switched supplier

13 %

16 %

14 %

18 %

14 %

18 %

18 %

12 %

38 %

22 %

33 %

23 %

38 %

25 %

41 %

28 %

16 %

14 %

40 %

27 %

21 %

15 %

37 %

20 %

16 %

20 %

15 %

18 %

21 %

12 %

19 %

14 %

27 %

17 %

38 %

24 %

39 %

25 %

38 %

26 %

43 %

30 %

42 %

26 %

61 %

76 %

57 %

76 %

51 %

78 %

49 %

63 %

53 %

59 %

48 %

57 %

40 %

60 %

44 %

59 %

42 %

65 %

47 %

56 %

46 %

57 %

40 %

61 %

38 %

56 %

31 %

58 %

7.5

8.3

7.4

8.3

7.1

8.4

7.0

7.5

7.1

7.3

6.8

7.1

6.4

7.5

6.6

7.3

6.3

7.5

6.8

7.0

6.7

7.1

6.2

7.6

6.3

7.1

5.7

7.1

0.0

-0.1

0.1

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.1

-0.2

0.0

-0.1

0.1

-0.2

0.0

0.3

0.0

-0.1

0.2

-0.3

0.0

0.1

0.0

-0.1

0.0

0.0

-0.1

-0.1

-0.1

0.2

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

No

Yes – goods/services with same provider

Yes – supplier

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 

fast moving retail
semi durable goods
automotive goods
recreational services
transport
insurance services
telecoms
utilities
banking services

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A Market Performance Indicator including Switching (MPIs) has been calculated for 
the 14 ‘switching markets’. This is based on five equally weighted factors – those 
included in the MPI, plus an additional switching indicator composed of the results 
for actual switching and perceived ease of switching.

A  comparison  of  MPI  and  MPIs  rankings  shows  that  the  switching  component  has 
a positive impact for mobile telephone services, internet provision and, to a lesser 
extent, investment products. For four markets, ‘loans, credit and credit cards’, ‘pri-
vate life insurance’, ‘gas services’ and ‘mortgages’, the switching component has a 
negative impact.

Figure 16:  MPIs (Market Performance Indicator including Switching)

35

diﬀ
2012
2011

2012

2011

2010

Commercial sport services

106.5

-0.3

Vehicle insurance

104.0

-0.6

Home insurance

  102.3

-0.3

Fixed telephone services

  101.0

0.0

Mobile telephone services

  100.1

0,2

TV-subscriptions

  100.0

2.0

Internet provision

  99.9

1.0

Loans, credit and credit cards

  99.6

0.1

Gas services

  99.1

-0.9

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Private life insurance

  99.0

-0.5

10

Bank accounts

  98.9

-0.3

11

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

6

11

10

10

7

5

8

9

6

7

8

Electricity services

  98.0

0.6

12

12

Investment products, private pensions and securities

96.3

-0.3

13

13

11

Mortgages

95.6

-0.7

14

14

Source: Market monitoring survey, 2012

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C H A P T E R 3

Prices

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Price  levels  are  an  important  element  in  consumers’  decision  making  and  as  such 
should be carefully monitored. However, availability of comparable and representa-
tive price level data is still rather limited.

The data presented in the Scoreboard come from several sources. The prices of net-
work  services  include  data  routinely  provided  to  Eurostat  by  Member  States  (gas, 
electricity,  postal  services,  fixed  telephone),  complemented  by  data  from  relevant 
Commission  reports  (cross-border  parcel  delivery,  broadband  internet  access).34
Vehicle fuel prices are published weekly by the Commission’s Market Observatory for 
Energy, which uses data received from Member States. Lastly, a pilot project carried 
out by Eurostat and National Statistical Offices, currently in its fourth year, aims to 
present detailed price levels for specific groups of products, supplementing existing 
statistics with price indices.35 The project has grown since last year in terms of the 
number  of  products  (from  87  to  156)  and  the  number  of  participating  countries 
(from 25 to 27).

The  products  presented  in  Figures  18  to  21  have  been  split  into  the  following 
groups, reflecting the market clusters identified in the Scoreboard: fast-moving re-
tail goods, (semi-) durable goods, vehicle fuels, recreational and personal care serv-
ices,  and  network  services  (the  latter  group  covering  public  utilities,  telecom  and 
transport  services).  The  horizontal  axis  presents  the  degree  of  price  variation  for 
each  product  across  the  EU.  To  take  account  of  local  costs  and  purchasing  power, 
which have an influence on national price levels, the vertical axis presents the de-
gree of correlation between price levels and actual individual consumption per capi-
ta.36 Of particular concern are high price differentials that are not or negatively cor-
related with purchasing power, indicating that consumers in less affluent countries 
pay (relatively) higher prices (most of the products in the bottom right quadrant in 
the charts fall under this category). While this can be explained in some cases by 

34

35 

Intra-community cross-border parcel delivery, Study on behalf of the European Commission, Directo-
rate-General for Internal Market and Services, December 2011 – http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/
post/doc/studies/2011-parcel-delivery-study_en.pdf
Broadband  internet  access  cost,  Study  on  behalf  of  the  European  Commission,  Directorate-General 
for  Information  Society  and  Media,  August  2011  –  http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-
agenda/scoreboard/docs/pillar/study_broadband_access_costs.pdf.

The data are part of an experimental project, based on figures used to calculate Harmonised Indices 
of Consumer Prices, which aims to measure inflation and not to compare price levels. Therefore, the 
products included within the same general product description are not necessarily fully comparable. 
In different countries, different products may be selected, e.g. those which are most typical for the 
country concerned, and the products selected may therefore be of different quality, different brands 
or  from  different  types  of  outlets.  Further  details  are  available  at:  http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/
portal/page/portal/hicp/methodology/prices_data_for_market_monitoring.

36  Actual individual consumption is the total of individual goods and services consumed by households 

and financed from both private and public sources.

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37

differences in consumption patterns (e.g. olive oil is much more popular in Southern 
than in Northern Europe), it may also be a sign of market malfunctioning. However, 
since  overall  only  a  few  items  are  in  the  bottom  right  quadrant,  it  is  possible  to 
conclude that differences in prices across countries are influenced mainly by rela-
tive purchasing power. This could be the result of producers’ pricing strategies (for 
tradable goods) and of differences in the cost of labour (in the case of services and 
non-tradable goods). 

In  general,  price  variation37  is  higher  in  services  markets  (0.5  for  recreational  and 
personal care services, 0.4 for network services) than goods markets (0.1 for fuels, 
around  0.3  for  fast-moving  and  semi-durable  goods)  –  a  reflection  of  the  lower 
tradability  of  services.  Non-tradability  is  also  a  determinant  of  price  variation  for 
some goods. This is clearly the case for newspapers and magazines, both in the up-
per right quadrant (these are mostly non tradable because of language and cultural 
barriers).  Price  variation  may  also  be  linked  to  differences  in  tax  and  excise  levels. 
For  instance,  alcoholic  beverages  and  cigarettes  show  higher  than  average  price 
variation and a strong correlation with purchasing power, most likely reflecting the 
fact  that,  in  some  richer  (e.g.  northern)  countries,  taxes  on  these  products  tend  to 
be particularly high. For some goods (such as wine) price differentials could also be 
explained by differences in the quality levels of the goods purchased (prices are not 
fully adjusted for quality levels). In less affluent countries, for example, consumers 
tend to buy cheaper wine.

The  prices  of  recreational  and  personal  care  services  show  the  greatest  correla-
tion38  with  the  levels  of  consumption  (0.75).  Semi-durable  and  fast-moving  con-
sumer  goods  have  on  average  similar  levels  of  price  dispersion,  but  the  former 
show  a  higher  correlation  with  consumption  levels  (0.6  against  0.4).  This  can  be 
explained  by  the  fact  that,  for  semi-durable  goods,  geographical  price  dispersion 
in the EU has a greater tendency to reflect differences in the quality of goods pur-
chased in more affluent or less affluent Member States. The lowest correlation with 
consumption levels is found in vehicle fuels (0.3) and network services (0.35), and 
the  correlation  is  actually  negative  for  some  telecom  services  such  as  telephone 
national long distance calls, lasting 10 minutes. 

There is a clear need to increase the number of prices collected in order to cover all 
51 markets included in the Scoreboard and all Member States. 

37 

38 

These are simple arithmetic averages of the coefficients of variation observed in the different markets.

Idem.

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38

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 17: Prices of fast-moving retail goods – variation across EU countries and relation to consumption

1.00

0.80

0.60

0.40

0.20

0.00

-0.20

-0.40

-0.60

-0.80

a
t
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Source: Table 4

Apples
Fresh bananas

Whole chicken

Novel

Pork, loin chop

Chicken breast, ﬁllets

Pencil, all

Detergent for washing 
machine, concentrated, all

Potatos

Music CD – Pop Charts

Battery Sausage, Frankfurter/Wiener

Fresh tomatoes, round

Long-grain rice, all

Black pepper, all
Cigarettes

Beef, minced

Sausage, salami type

Scourer sponge, all

Electric toothbrush, all

Pork, cutlet (‘escalope’)

Mineral salt

Chicken eggs

Light bulb
Bread, white, loaf

Blank compact disk (CD-R)

Blank DVD (R), slimcase, all

Daily newspaper

Magazine, weekly goosip

Chocolate, milk, all

Carbonated drink, orange ﬂavoured, all
8
7
1
3

Tampons, all

12

Detergent for washing machine, 
unconcentrated, all

Paper for multiple purposes

Toilet paper, all

4

9

Deodorant, all

Jam, all

Orange juice, all

5

15

17

13

16

2
11
20

Pasta, without eggs, all
19
Shampoo

White sugar

Cleaning liquid for windows, all

14

0.10

Potato crisp, 
single pack,all

0.20

Fresh carrots

Pizza, frozen, all

Potting soil

Chewing gum, all

Natural yoghurt, all

White wine

Tomato ketchup, brandless

Tinned pink tuna (Skipjack, Thunnus 
Thynn, Albacares = yellow ﬁn)

Vodka all

Beer all

Red wine

Fruit yoghurt, all

Mineral water, carbonated, all

Cotton buds, all

Black tea, all

Cornﬂakes, all

Dog food, meat

Frozen French fries, all
18

Margarine, all

0.30

Baby food, meat 
base, all

0.40

6

10

Butter, all

All-purposes household 
cleaner, all

Shower gel, all

Cleaner for WC, all

Olive oil, all

Cheese, Camembert type

Cocoa instant drink, powder,all 

Dish washer tablets,all

Price variation across EU countries

0.50

Coﬀee, all

0.60

0.70

0.80

  1  Wheat ﬂour, all
  2  Salmon, steak (Atlantic salmon – salmo salar) 
  3  Fish ﬁngers, all
  4  Milk, fresh, unskimmed, all
  5  Cream cheese, all
  6  Cheese, Gouda type
  7  Vegetable oil, all
  8  Canned fruit
  9  Tinned sweet corn, brandless
10  Ice cream, all
11  Mineral water, still, all
12  Light bulb energy saving type
13  Movie DVD
14  Dog food dry
15  Electric razor, all
16  Cartridges for safety razor, men, all
17  Tooth paste
18  Toilet soap, liquid, all
19  Disposable nappies, all
20  Manual toothbrush, all

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Figure 18: Prices of (semi-)durable goods – variation across EU countries and relation to consumption

1.00

0.80

Video game, PlayStation 3

Monitor, 
Full HD, 22", all

0.60

Television

Cement

Board game, Monopoly

Ladies’ long boots, all

DVD recorder with hard disk, all

Laptop

Men’s blue jeans, all

Girls’ tights, all

Portable MP3 player
4

Children’s T-shirt, long sleeves

9

5
7

15

16

12

8
3

2

6
17

Children’s jeans trousers

10

13

11
1

14

18

Sofa set, all

Cooking pot, stainless steel, all

Boys’ socks, all

Tights, all

Men’s trousers, all

Girls’ skirt, all

Towel, all

Flate plate, all

Paint, indoor use, all

Cup and saucer

Ladies’ conventional court shoes, all

Kettle, all

Men’s T-shirt, short sleeves, all

Microwave oven, all

39

Double bed frame, 
pressboard, all

0.12

0.17

0.22

0.27

Ladies’ top coat, all

0.37

0.42

0.52
Refrigerator, undercounter, with freezer, all

0.57

Compact digital camera, all

0.32

Glass, water, all

0.47

Camcorder, HDD, all

Source: Table 4

Price variation across EU countries

  1  Men’s suit, wool, all
  2  Men’s shirt, all 
  3  Men’s boxer briefs, all
  4  Ladies’ blazer, woolmix, all
  5  Ladies’ straight trousers, synthetic, all
  6  Ladies’ jeans, all
  7  Ladies’ skirt, all
  8  Ladies’ blouse, all
  9  Ladies’ T-shirt
10  Ladies’ pullover, all
11  Brassiere, push-up, all
12  Men’s lace-up shoes, all
13  Men’s street shoes, all
14  Children’s sport shoes, all
15  Silicone, all
16  Fridge-freezer, all
17  Washing machine, all
18  Vacuum cleaner, all

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0.40

0.20

0.00

-0.20

-0.40

-0.60

-0.80

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40

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 19: Prices of vehicle fuels – variation across EU countries and relation to consumption

a
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0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.10

0.00

0.00

-0.10

Source: Table 5

Euro-super 95 + tax

LPG no tax

Euro-super 95 no tax

Diesel + tax

LPG + tax

Diesel no tax

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10
Heating oil no tax

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.20

Heating oil + tax

Price variation across EU countries

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Figure 20: Prices of recreational and personal care services – variation across EU countries and relation to consumption

41

1.00

0.90

0.80

0.70

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

a
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0.20

0.20

Source: Table 4

Men’s scissors cut, wet

Taxi

Ladies – haircut

Services, Cobbler

Cinema ticket

Dry cleaning

Cup of coﬀee

Urban bus transport, single ticket

Beer (lager), domestic – glass

Red house wine – glass

Menu of the day

Hotel weekend

Digital photo print service

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

Price variation across EU countries

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42

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 21: Prices of network services – variation across EU countries and relation to consumption

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0.80

0.70

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.10

0

-0.10

-0.20

2.5 MWh < Electricity < 5 MWh + tax

Gas > 200 GJ

Gas > 200 GJ + tax

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg domestic parcel

5 MWh < Electricity < 15 MWh + tax

POSTAL SERVICES: Domestic service

2.5 MWh < Electricity < 5 MWh

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg cross-border letter

POSTAL SERVICES: Intra-EU service

5 MWh < Electricity < 15 MWh

Gas < 20 GJ + tax

20 GJ < Gas < 200 GJ
1 MWh 
< Electricity 
< 2.5 MWh + tax

1 MWh < 
Electricity 
< 2.5 MWh

Gas < 20 GJ

Electricity < 1 MWh + tax

Electricity < 1 MWh

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg cross-border parcel

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg cross-border express product

Electricity > 15 MWh + tax

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg domestic express product

POSTAL SERVICES: 
2 kg domestic letter

Electricity > 15 MWh

Internet access 144 kbps–512 kbps

Internet access 4 Mbps–8 Mbps

TELEPHONE: Local calls (10 minutes)

Internet access 
512 kbps–1 Mbps

Internet access 1 Mbps–2 Mbps

Internet access 30+ Mbps

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40
Internet access 8 Mbps–12 Mbps

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

Internet access 2 Mbps–4 Mbps

Internet access 12 Mbps–30 Mbps

TELEPHONE: National long 
distance calls (10 minutes)

Price variation across EU countries

Source: Table 4 and Table 5

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It  is  also  possible  to  look  at  how  comparative  price  levels  have  evolved  over  time, 
i.e.  whether  there  has  been  a  trend  towards  price  convergence  or  divergence  in 
the EU. These statistics, which are collected in the framework of purchasing power 
parities,39  give  some  indication  of  the  differences  in  price  levels  across  Member 
States (despite some known limitations).

Figure  22  shows  the  coefficient  of  variation  of  comparative  price  levels  in  the  EU 
Member States for final household consumption and for the different COICOP40 cat-
egories into which it can be broken down. Available evidence seems to support the 
hypothesis that price dispersion in the EU has decreased from 1999 to 2011 both 
for total household consumption and for most COICOP categories.

43

39 

Price level indices and changes in them over time do not only reflect differences in the prices of com-
parable products but are also influenced by different patterns of consumption across Member States 
and over time.

40 

COICOP – Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose.

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44

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 22:  EU27 price evolution in COICOP categories – coefficient of variation of comparative price levels for final household 

consumption in %41

1999    
2003    
2007    
2011

Bread and cereals

Meat

Milk, cheese and eggs

Fruits, vegetables, potatoes

Non-alcoholic beverages

Alcoholic beverages

Clothing and footwear

Electricity, gas and other fuels

Furniture and furnishings, carpets
 and other ﬂoor coverings

Households appliances

Personal transport equipment

Transport services

Communication

Recreation and culture

Restaurants and hotels

Miscellaneous goods and services

Household ﬁnal consumption expenditure

Consumer goods

Consumer services

41 

Source: own estimate 
based on Eurostat data.

0

10

20

30

40

50

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By  looking  at  the  same  coefficient  of  variation  computed  on  total  household  con-
sumption  for  the  different  European  aggregates  (Figure  23)  it  is  possible  to  see 
that  the  decreasing  price  dispersion  at  EU  level  has  been  influenced  by  a  price 
convergence  process  observed  across  the  twelve  Member  States  that  joined  the 
EU12  countries  after  2004,  while  dispersion  across  the  EU15  Member  States  has 
remained  stable.  In  the  euro-area  the  speed  of  convergence  process  has  been 
broadly in line with that observed for the EU27. The convergence can be attributed 
to the combined effect of different inflation rates and diverging exchange rates.

Figure 23:  Price evolution – coefficient of variation of comparative price levels 

for final household consumption in %42

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

35.6

25.0

1999
2011

27.5

22.7

15.0

15.5

12.8

12.4

EU27

EU15

EU12

Euro area

Lastly, the convergence of EU15 and EU12 price levels has also played a role, but 
this  does  not  appear  to  have  been  very  significant,  as  comparative  EU15  price 
levels fell by only 0.4 % between 1999 and 2011 (EU27=100).43

42 

43 

Source: own estimates based on Eurostat data.

It has gone down from 105.5 to 105.1 (EU27=100), meaning that prices in the EU15 are still roughly 
5 % higher than in the EU as a whole and that the difference has decreased only slightly over time. 
Source: own estimates based on Eurostat data.

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C H A P T E R 4

Complaints

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Figure  24  presents  the  overall  consumer  complaints  collected  by  third-party 
complaint  bodies  (e.g.  consumer  authorities,  regulators,  consumer  organisations,
alternative dispute resolution bodies) in the Member States. These data have been 
collected according to different methodologies and therefore cross-country compa-
rability is very low. For most countries, the figures are incomplete (national authori-
ties were unable to provide the total number of complaints collected by the various 
third-party  bodies).  In  some  cases  (e.g.  Germany  and  Poland),  the  overall  figures 
include both complaints and enquiries.

Figure 24:  Consumer complaints by country – 2009–11 (in thousand)

47

488.1*

336.5

62.6*

19.9*

2.6

21.4

2.9

3.6

10.3

88.4

65.9

110.1

21.9

5.6

8.1

6.2

60.0

58.1

0.2

9.4*

22.3

208.5

116.2

AT

BE

BG

CY

CZ

DE

DK

EE

EL

ES

FI

FR

HU

IE

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SE

SI

SK

UK

NO

IS

2,250*

879.0

2011
2010
2009

659.4*

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

*  Both enquiries and complaints (rest of countries reports only complaints).
• 
• 

UK data covers the period April 2010 – March 2011
SI data covers only the insurance market.

Source: National consumer authorities

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48

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

In May 2010, the Commission adopted a Recommendation introducing a harmonised 
methodology  for  classifying  and  reporting  consumer  complaints  and  enquiries.44
The collection of complaints data on a comparable basis across the EU would allow 
for a faster, better targeted, evidence-based policy response at EU or national level 
to  the  problems  experienced  by  consumers.  The  Recommendation  is  addressed  to 
all third-party complaint bodies and calls on them to classify complaints according 
to common rules and to report their overall figures to the Commission. The system 
does not cover consumer complaint handling mechanisms operated by traders.

The  Commission  has  been  supporting  national  partners  in  the  implementation  of
the Recommendation. During the past year, dedicated country workshops took place 
in  14  countries.  The  Commission  has  also  provided  free  software  to  all  interested
organisations that do not yet have a specific IT data collection system in place and 
technical  specifications  and  financial  support  (in  the  form  of  grants)  to  organisa-
tions  adapting  their  existing  IT  systems  to  the  requirements  of  the  Recommenda-
tion. In 2013, in addition to the support received so far, organisations will be able to 
receive free of charge IT expert visits aimed at developing customised IT solutions.

To  date,  complaint  bodies  from  around  a  third  of  Member  States  have  started 
sending  harmonised  complaint  data  to  the  Commission  and  organisations  from  a 
number  of  other  countries  intend  to  follow  suit  in  the  near  future.  Belgium  and 
Spain  have  by  far  the  largest  number  of  participating  bodies.  Currently,  there 
are  almost  50 000  complaints  and  almost  220 000  enquiries  in  the  database. 
Figure 25 presents the breakdown by country.

Figure 25:  Harmonised consumer complaints by country – 2011/2012

35,929

9,303

2,594

BE

ES

HU

CZ

331

MT

  240

PL

  148

FR

  123

LT

  118

RO

  76

NL

  50

UK

11

DE

8

AT

6

LU

5

IT

4

DK

2

IE

2

SK

2

SI

1

CH

1

44  C(2010)3021 final

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

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Except  for  Belgium  and  (to  a  lesser  extent)  Spain,  the  complaint  data  collected 
according  to  the  harmonised  methodology  still  represent  only  a  tiny  fraction  of 
all  the  complaints  collected  by  third-party  complaint  bodies.  Yet,  even  this  small 
sample  already  gives  a  first  picture  of  the  situation  in  different  markets.  As  the 
data for Belgium is most complete, further analysis will focus on this country as a 
case study.

The  Complaints  Recommendation  is  based  on  a  modified  COICOP  classification 
and  includes  86  sectors,  49  of  which  are  covered  in  the  Scoreboard45.  A  break-
down by sector of the complaints made by Belgian consumers is presented below. 
Overall,  Belgian  consumers  are  most  likely  to  complain  about  continuous  services 
such  as  telecoms  and  energy  services.  The  five  markets  with  the  largest  number 
of  complaints  are  internet  provision,  electricity  services,  house  maintenance,  mo-
bile telephone services and fixed telephone services. In general, consumers tend to 
make considerably fewer complaints about goods markets, with the markets for ICT 
goods, furniture and furnishing, clothing and footwear, electronic goods and house 
maintenance products recording the highest numbers. Hard complaints data largely 
confirm the picture emerging from the market monitoring survey, with a correlation 
of 0.5 between the number of complaints per market recorded in the database and 
the percentage of consumers in the survey who report that they had encountered a 
problem and complained about it.46

45 

The sector classification used in the Complaints Recommendation has been developed on the basis of 
discussions with the Consumer Complaints Expert group (set up for this purpose in 2008 and bringing 
together representatives from consumer authorities, consumer organisations, sectoral regulator bod-
ies,  self-regulatory  bodies,  ADR  bodies  and  European  Consumer  Centres),  the  results  of  an  external 
study  and  a  public  consultation  carried  out  in  2009.  The  COICOP  classification  has  been  slightly 
modified, inter alia based on best practices from the national complaints classification. For instance, 
sectors such as bank accounts, investment products, mortgages, and loans and credit cards (shown 
to be particularly problematic for consumers) were added to the classification (in COICOP system, all 
these  sectors  fall  under  ‘other  financial  services’).  More  background  on  the  process  is  available  at: 
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/complaints/policy_framework_en.htm

46 

It should be noted, however, that the bases of Belgian consumers who say in the market monitoring sur-
vey that they have experienced problems in a given market and complained about those are very low.

49

1,856

1,508
1,488

2,527

2,299

2,112

1,690

Figure 26:  Harmonised consumer complaints by market – Belgium, 2011/12

Information and communication technology (ICT) goods
Furnishings
Clothing and footwear
Electronic goods (non-ICT/recreational)
House maintenance and improvement goods
Leisure goods
Books, magazines, newspapers, stationery
Second-hand cars
Large domestic household appliances
New cars
Food – Bread and Cereals
Small domestic household appliances
Food – Meat
Cosmetics and toiletries for personal care
Alcoholic beverages
Fuels and lubricants for vehicles
Food – Fruit and vegetables
Electrical appliances for personal care
Non-alcoholic beverages
Over-the-counter medication

710
694
657
633

574

499

447

361

313
288
245
211

151
136

  56
  52
 28

Internet services
Electricity
House maintenance and improvement services
Mobile telephone services
Fixed telephone services
Restaurants and bars
Credit (excluding mortgage/home loans)
Cultural and entertainment services
Television services
Real estate services
Personal care services
Package travel
Maintenance and repair of vehicles
Payment account and payment services
Airlines
Hotels and other holiday accommodation
Gas
Legal services & accountancy
Services related to sports and hobbies
Postal services & couriers
Non-life Insurance – Transport
Non-life Insurance – Home and property
Investments, pensions and securities
Gambling, lotteries
Water
Rental services
Railways
Mortgages/Home loans
Insurance – Life
Tram, bus, metro and underground

948

849

613

559

494

400
370
337
300

235
217
180
155
140
132
  123
  122
  121
  108
  96
  91
  90
  74
  46
 33
 19

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

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50

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Figure 27 shows that issues related to ‘Unfair Commercial Practices’ (such as mis-
leading contractual terms and conditions, incorrect or misleading indication of pric-
es and labelling, misleading or unsolicited advertising) have been the most common 
reason for complaints in Belgium, representing a third of all complaints. These are 
followed by issues linked to ‘delivery of goods/provision of services’ 47 and ‘invoicing/
billing and debt collection’ and a cluster of contract related problems, including the 
quality of goods and services and warranties.

As  for  the  selling  methods,  distance  sales  by  phone  and  post  records  the  highest 
number of complaints (23 %), followed by e-commerce (20 %).

Figure 27:  Harmonised consumer complaints by problem – Belgium, 2011/12

Unfair commercial practices

10,525

Delivery of goods/
provision of services

Invoicing/billing and
 debt collection

4,753

4,240

Contracts and sales

2,922

Quality of goods
  and services

Warranty/statutory
 guarantee and
 commercial guarantees

2,708

2,266

Price/tariﬀ

1,876

Privacy and
 data protection

  492

Redress

  464

Safety – covers both
 goods (including food)
 and services

  440

Provider change/switching

  106

47 

Some  problems  relating  to  the  delivery  and  the  provision  of  services  may  also  be  of  a  contractual 
nature.

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

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Figure 28:  Harmonised consumer complaints by selling method – Belgium, 2011/12

Distance selling (e.g. phone, post), excluding e-commerce, mobile commerce and internet auctions

E-commerce, excluding mobile commerce and internet auctions

4,363

3,711

51

Face-to-face: Retail store

Face-to-face: Retail chain store

1,752

1,602

Face-to-face: Other type of premises

1,374

Selling away from business premises (oﬀ-premises)

Face-to-face: Small shop, small store

1,070

920

Face-to-face: Supermarket, hypermarket

709

Face-to-face: Oﬃce (includes banks and other ﬁnancial institutions)

Other selling methods

612

600

Face-to-face: Sports and leisure premises

464

Face-to-face

378

Face-to-face: Discount store

316

Face-to-face: Travel agency, tour operator agency

Face-to-face: Department store

227

215

Market, trade fair

178

Internet auctions

  126

Face-to-face: Petrol station

  117

Face-to-face: Street market, farm shop

  74

Mobile commerce

32

Face-to-face: Greengrocer, night shop

31

Face-to-face: School

24

Face-to-face: Hospital, clinic, surgery

18

Auctions

10

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

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C H A P T E R 5

Safety

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Ensuring that the goods and services consumers buy and use are safe is a key pri-
ority of consumer policy. To this end and as a follow-up to the Consumer Agenda48
and Single Market Act II49, a new ‘Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package’ 
is  being  prepared,  aimed  at  improving  the  currently  fragmented  European  market 
surveillance and enforcement systems.

Aside from some specific sectors such as transport, there is a general lack of com-
parable  data  on  the  safety  of  goods  and  services.  Current  work  is  focused  on  en-
couraging the implementation of the Commission Recommendation on harmonised 
complaints data, which also includes safety. Currently, the complaints database in-
cludes less than 500 complaints linked to the safety of goods and services (around 
1 % of all complaints). However, it already gives some indication of potential safety 
problems  in  different  markets.  When  the  complaints  database  grows,  the  safety 
data will be combined with other Scoreboard indicators. Continuing with the Belgian 
example, consumers appear to be more concerned about the safety of goods than 
of services, with the markets for meat, other food products and alcoholic beverages 
recording the largest share of complaints.

Figure 29: Consumer safety complaints by market – Belgium, 2011/12

53

Food – Meat

Food – Other

176

124

Alcoholic beverages

32

Leisure goods
 (sports equipment, musical instruments, etc)

22

House maintenance and improvement goods

10

Clothing (including tailor-made goods)
 and footwear

6

Baby and child care articles

Electronic goods (non-ICT/recreational)

Cleaning and maintenance products, articles for
 cleaning and non-durable household articles

Food – Fruit and vegetables

Information and communication
 technology (ICT) goods

Construction of new houses

Non-alcoholic beverages

Furnishings

Large domestic household appliances
 (including vacuum cleaners and microwaves)

Cosmetics and toiletries for personal care

Food – Bread and Cereals

Medical devices and other physical aids
 used by patients

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

2

2

2

2

2

Personal care services

8

House maintenance and improvement services

Services related to sports and hobbies

Fuels and lubricants for vehicles and other
 means of personal transport

New cars

Electricity

Fixed telephone services

4

4

2

2

2

2

48  COM(2012) 225 final

49 

COM(2012) 573 final

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

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54

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

In addition to consumer complaints, the European Injury Database (IDB)50 provides 
information  on  products  that  are  responsible  for  accidents  and  injuries  in  the  EU. 
The data include annual EU-wide samples of about 280 000 incidents, collected by 
more than 90 hospitals in 12 EU countries. As the IDB product categories are not 
based on the COICOP classification, in most cases it is difficult to establish a direct 
link with the categories used in the Scoreboard. However, some categories, such as 
furniture and household appliances, are similar in both classification systems. 

Table 3 indicates that ‘building (component) or related fitting’ (e.g. bathtubs, stairs, 
pipes, swimming pools), ‘ground surface’ (e.g. sloping/uneven surface, body of water 
such as sea, lake or river), ‘equipment used in sports/recreation’ and ‘furniture/fur-
nishings’ are the categories most often involved in accidents and injuries. However, 
the  actual  percentages  are  rather  low  because  of  the  large  share  of  ‘other  and 
unspecified products’ responsible for accidents.

Table 3: Safety figures from the European Injury Database (2010)

IDB Product category

Country

Appliance mainly used in household

0.9 %

0.8 %

0.7 %

0.3 %

0.5 %

0.5 %

0.3 %

0.2 %

0.1 %

0.3 %

AT

CY

CZ

DK

DE

IT*

LV

MT

NL

SI

Building, building component, 
or related fitting

Equipment mainly used in sports/
recreational activity

Fire, flame, smoke

Furniture/furnishing

Ground surface or 
surface conformation

Hot object/substance not 
elsewhere classified

Infant or child product

Item mainly for personal use

Tool, machine, apparatus mainly used for 
work-related activity

Utensil or container

Other, unspecified and not-product related 
cases

* The data for Italy refer to 2009.

Source: IDB, KfV

11.6 %

49.2 %

10.8 %

1.9 %

10.2 %

7.7 %

11.2 %

8.2 %

2.4 %

13.6 %

19.7 %

0.0 %

5.9 %

0.4 %

0.1 %

4.2 %

1.8 %

12.2 %

0.1 %

2.1 %

2.6 %

3.6 %

2.2 %

1.7 %

0.2 %

1.0 %

0.4 %

4.7 %

6.5 %

0.2 %

4.7 %

3.3 %

0.7 %

6.3 %

0.6 %

0.7 %

0.6 %

2.8 %

0.1 %

2.2 %

0.3 %

0.1 %

1.5 %

0.7 %

1.4 %

0.3 %

1.7 %

0.0 %

4.5 %

2.4 %

0.0 %

3.6 %

2.2 %

1.5 %

0.4 %

0.2 %

0.0 %

5.9 %

1.7 %

0.3 %

2.6 %

0.1 %

12.4 %

0.6 %

1.2 %

0.5 %

1.1 %

1.2 %

0.9 %

0.8 %

0.2 %

8.4 %

1.3 %

0.7 %

0.2 %

0.7 %

1.6 %

0.7 %

0.3 %

0.8 %

1.9 %

1.3 %

1.0 %

0.0 %

0.7 %

0.8 %

0.0 %

0.3 %

0.8 %

0.2 %

0.2 %

2.0 %

0.1 %

1.6 %

3.0 %

0.2 %

0.3 %

0.4 %

2.2 %

0.5 %

49.4 %

25.0 %

64.8 %

88.1 %

73.0 %

81.0 %

59.8 %

83.5 %

93.5 %

75.9 %

50 

The  data  is  directly  accessible  at:  https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/sanco/heidi/index.php/EU_Injury_
Database_(IDB).

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Further information on the safety of products on the market is provided by the two 
EU-wide  rapid  alert  systems  for  the  notification  of  dangerous  consumer  goods: 
RAPEX51  for  non-food  products  and  RASFF52  for  food  and  feed  products.  Figures 
30  and  31  show  a  breakdown  by  product  category,  excluding  the  categories  ac-
counting  for  less  than  1 %  of  notifications.  ‘Clothing,  textiles  and  fashion  items’, 
‘toys’  and  ‘motor  vehicles’  are  the  non-food  products  notified  most  often,  while 
‘nuts, nut products and seeds’, ‘fruit and vegetables’ and ‘fish and fish products’ 
top the list of notifications among food and feed products. However, it should be 
taken  into  account  that  some  products  are  traditionally  subject  to  more  inspec-
tions than others.

55

51 

52 

RAPEX: Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products

RASFF: Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed

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56

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Figure 30:  Notifications of dangerous non-food products by product category

Clothing, textiles and fashion items

Toys

Motor vehicles

Electrical appliances

11 %

8.9 %

8.6 %

9.8 %

8.0 %
8.1 %

Cosmetics

6.7 %

3.4 %

5.1 %

27.2 %

31.7 %

23.2 %

20.8 %

24.9 %

27.8 %

Childcare articles and children’s equipment

Lighting equipment

Chemical products

Other

Protective equipment

Hobby/sports equipment

Food-imitating products

Machinery

Lighters

Lighting chains

Furniture

Decorative articles

4.2 %

3.7 %

3.9 %

3.4 %

2.4 %

3.1 %

1.5 %

2.4 %

2.6 %

2.2 %

1.7 %

1.1 %

2 %

1.5 %

0.7 %

1.5 %

2.1 %

2.9 %

1 %

2.6 %

2.4 %

1 %
0.9 %

0.4 %

0.9 %

1.8 %
1.8 %

0.8 %

1.2 %

2.3 %

0.6 %
0.6 %

1.0 %

0.6 %
0.5 %

0.8 %

2011
2010
2009

Stationery

0 %
0.1 %

0.3 %

0

Source: RAPEX Annual Report 2011

5 %

10 %

15 %

20 %

25 %

30 %

35 %

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Figure 31:  Notifications of dangerous food and feed products by product category

57

16 %

18 %

17 %

22 %

13 %

14,1 %

13.2 %

14 %
14 %

2011
2010
2009

8.3 %

7 %

7 %

7 %

5.3 %

4.9 %
5 %
5 %

4.6 %

4 %

4 %

4 %

3.6 %

4 %
4 %

6 %

6 %

6 %

Fruit and vegetables

Nuts, nut products and seeds

Fish and ﬁsh products

Food contact materials

Feed materials

3 %

Herbs and spices

Cereals and bakery products

Meat and meat products (other than poultry)

Dietetic foods, food supplements, fortiﬁed foods

Cephalopods and products thereof

1 %
1 %

Crustaceans and products thereof

Poultry meat and poultry meat products

Bivalve molluscs and products thereof

Confectionery

Pet food

Soups, broths, sauces and condiments

Milk and milk products

Cocoa and cocoa preparations, coﬀee and tea

Prepared dishes and snacks

Non-alcoholic beverages

2.2 %

2.1 %
2 %

1.9 %
2 %

3 %

1.8 %
2 %
2 %

1.8 %
2 %
2 %

1.7 %
2 %
2 %

1.4 %

2 %

1 %

1.4 %

2 %

1 %

1.2 %

1 %

2 %

0.9 %
1 %
1 %

0.8 %
1 %
1 %

Source: RASFF Annual Report 2011

0

5 %

10 %

15 %

20 %

25 %

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58

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Additional  insights  into  the  safety  of  a  range  of  recreational  and  personal  care 
services  are  provided  by  the  recent  survey53  which  examined,  for  the  first  time, 
European consumers’ perceptions and experiences of the safety of accommodation, 
organised outdoor leisure activities, swimming pools, beauty and wellness centres, 
and amusement parks and fairgrounds. Two-thirds (66 %) of respondents consider 
organised outdoor activities (such as skiing, canoeing and mountain biking) to have 
the  highest  frequency  of  accidents  resulting  in  injuries,  followed  by  amusement 
parks  (33 %)  and  swimming  pools  (29 %).  When  it  comes  to  the  actual  experience 
of  injury  when  using  these  services,  the  ranking  of  services  is  the  same  but  the 
incidence is rather low. Europeans are most likely to report an accident resulting in 
injury when using organised outdoor leisure activities (11 %). Fewer than 5 % report 
injuries in swimming pools (4 %) and amusement parks and fairgrounds (2 %).

Most  (54 %)  of  the  respondents  said  that  the  accident  was  their  own  fault,  or  the 
fault  of  the  user.  One  in  five  (20 %)  said  the  bad  state  of  the  premises  or  equip-
ment was to blame, while 16 % said that the staff were at fault due to insufficient 
competence.  Around  one  in  ten  blamed  insufficient  supervision  (13 %),  insufficient 
warnings about risks (12 %) or insufficient instructions on use (8 %).

Most accidents resulted in superficial injury (49 %), or serious but temporary injury 
(46 %). Fatal accidents and accidents resulting in permanent disability are rare, but 
do occur (both 2 %).

Figure 32:  Perceived risks and experience of injury in recreational and personal care services

Organised outdoor leisure activities
(skiing, canoeing, mountain biking, etc.)

11 %

66 %

Amusement parks and fairgrounds

33 %

29 %

Perceived risks of services 
(% of all respondents)

Experience of injury (% of respondents 
who used the service in the last 2 years)

4 %

2 %

2 %

11 %

Swimming pools

Beauty and wellness centres
(hairdressers, tanning salons, spas, etc.)

Accommodation (hotels, camping sites, etc.)

9 %

1 %

Source: Flash Eurobarometer 350 on Safety of services, 2012

0 %

10 %

20 %

30 %

40 %

50 %

60 %

70 %

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53 

Flash Eurobarometer 350 ‘Safety of services’ was conducted using telephone interviews (fixed-line and 
mobile phone) in May 2012, with 25 524 respondents aged 15 and above across all 27 Member States.

Figure 33:  Causes of accidents in recreational and personal care services

59

My own fault/the own fault of the user

54 %

Bad state of the premises/the equipment

20 %

Insuﬃcient competence of service provider/staﬀ responsible

16 %

Insuﬃcient supervision

13 %

Insuﬃcient warning about risks

12 %

Other (spontaneous)

10 %

Insuﬃcient instructions on use

8 %

Lack of/poor emergency procedures

5 %

Don’t know

 2 %

Source: Flash Eurobarometer 350 on Safety of services, 2012

0 %

10 %

20 %

30 %

40 %

50 %

60 %

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C H A P T E R 6

Conclusions and next steps

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61

The  Consumer  Markets  Scoreboard  is  a  screening  tool  indicating  where  consumer 
markets may be failing consumers and where further analysis should focus.

Main findings

Evidence gathering at EU level is a useful source of robust and comparable data for 
policymakers  and  stakeholders  at  both  EU  and  national  level.  The  country  reports 
(set out in Annex II) give each Member State an overview of the performance of its 
consumer markets. Many Member States have started to use this data in a system-
atic  way  when  designing  policies  and  regulations,  planning  enforcement  activities 
and  developing  their  own  research  efforts.  Data  on  consumer  trust  in  businesses’ 
compliance with consumer legislation is useful for public authorities and consumer 
organisations designing and targeting enforcement and public awareness activities. 
In addition, Member States are encouraged to use the Scoreboard data in determin-
ing their national priorities in the context of their National Reform Programmes.

Market monitoring results enable business stakeholders to benchmark the perform-
ance  of  their  sectors  and  could  serve  as  an  incentive  for  self-regulatory  schemes 
or other initiatives.

This  edition  of  the  Scoreboard  contains  significant  improvements  in  comparison 
with  previous  years.  It  includes,  for  the  first  time,  the  complaints  data  collected 
according to the harmonised methodology set out in the 2010 Commission Recom-
mendation. It also responds to the European Parliament’s request54 that results be 
analysed according to different socio demographic variables. Lastly, the price data 
presented  in  the  Scoreboard  cover  more  countries  and  more  product  categories. 
Further efforts will focus on the full implementation of the Complaints Recommen-
dation and the extension of comparable price data collection to all sectors covered 
in the Scoreboard.

The  Scoreboard  results  will  be  discussed  with  national  consumer  authorities  and 
regulators as well as with EU level consumer organisations, business stakeholders 
and other interested parties.

54 

European Parliament Resolution of 22 May 2012 on a strategy for strengthening the rights of vulner-
able consumers (2011/2272 INI): http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=
EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-209.

The overall Scoreboard findings show a small but steady improvement in the gen-
eral evaluation of market performance over the three years. Services markets con-
tinue  to  underperform,  with  banking  and  telecom  services  all  below  average.  The 
markets for investment products, mortgages and real estate services are the bot-
tom three markets for a third year in a row. Goods markets on the whole appear to 
be working considerably better. Exceptions include automotive goods (second-hand 
cars, vehicle fuels, new cars) and the markets for ‘clothing and footwear’ and ‘meat 
and meat products’. As compared with 2011, the markets for TV subscriptions and 
internet provision have improved the most. In particular, in the former, the increase 
in market performance score can be attributed to significant improvements in some 
EU12 countries. The largest drops in performance have been noted in the markets 
for postal services and local public transport. This may reflect budgetary cuts in the 
context of austerity policies, since both markets depend on public funding in many 
countries.  In  addition,  the  market  for  vehicle  fuels  has  a  significantly  worse  score 
for a second year in a row.

The  spread  of  market  assessment  across  the  EU  countries  reflects  the  differenc-
es  in  outcomes  for  consumers  and  can  therefore  be  seen  as  a  soft  indicator  of 
market  integration,  insofar  as  consumer  experience  is  concerned.  Overall  market 
performance  (across  all  markets)  is  in  general  assessed  slightly  more  positively 
by  consumers  in  EU15  than  in  EU12  countries.  At  market  level,  banking  and  net-
work services appear to have the most heterogeneous performance across Member 
States, while the most integrated markets include recreational services and certain 
(semi-)durable goods. There is a high negative correlation between the variance of 
market evaluations across the EU and the overall market performance, which could 
be interpreted as supporting the view that internal market integration works to the 
benefit of the consumers.

The socio-demographic analysis carried out in the Scoreboard suggests that women, 
young people and higher educated respondents tend to evaluate market performance 
more positively than the average. Unemployed and self-employed persons tend to be 
the most critical groups of respondents. Certain markets, in particular more compli-
cated services markets, are rated consistently lower by more disadvantaged groups 
(those  with  lower  education,  occupation  status  and  not  using  the  internet).  Further 
research is needed to understand the underlying reasons for these differences.

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62

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

The overall scores for comparability, trust and problem indicators have slightly im-
proved over the past three years, but this is not the case for all the markets. The 
components  of  satisfaction,  choice  and  ease  of  switching  have  remained  stable 
since 2011, while complaints and switching behaviour score less well than in 2011. 
Banking services and utilities are clearly the worst performing clusters on compa-
rability, which may reflect the complexity of tariffs, bundles and contractual terms. 
Even though consumers’ trust in businesses’ compliance with consumer protection 
rules  has  seen  a  slight  increase,  this  component  continues  to  be  relatively  poorly 
assessed  by  consumers,  with  ongoing  services  and  second  hand  car  markets  re-
ceiving  particularly  low  scores.  This  confirms  the  crucial  importance  of  the  qual-
ity of regulation and its implementation. There are considerable differences in the 
number  of  problems  consumers  experience  in  different  markets,  with  the  highest 
levels reported in the markets for telecom services, train services and second-hand 
cars.  In  some  markets,  such  as  local  public  transport  and  train  services,  consum-
ers  are  less  likely  to  complain  despite  a  high  incidence  of  problems.  The  poor  as-
sessment of the ease of switching and the overall low switching rates revealed by 
the Scoreboard indicate that the actual level of competitive pressure exercised by 
consumers may be limited. On the positive side, consumers appear to be relatively 
satisfied with the choice of providers in different markets.

Third-party complaint bodies from around a third of Member States have started to 
submit harmonised complaints data to the Commission. While the database is still 
embryonic, it already gives an initial picture of the situation in different markets.

The analysis of price data on almost 200 comparable and representative products 
indicates that price differences across Member States are large and do not always 
correspond to differences in purchasing power between countries.

In-depth studies

The Commission services intend to launch two in-depth studies on the basis of the 
Scoreboard results.

The  first  study  will  focus  on  the  market  for  second-hand  cars,  which  appears  at 
the bottom of the goods markets ranking for the third year in a row. It scores below 
average on all the components, with the lowest scores on trust and comparability 
and highest incidence of problems of all goods markets. Moreover, the cross-border 
dimension of this market is growing and it makes up a significant part of consumer 
expenditure. The study will review the regulatory environment of the second-hand 
car  markets  in  all  Member  States,  assess  dealers’  practices  and  identify  the  main 
problems reported and complaints made by consumers.

The second study will analyse the issue of consumer vulnerability across some key 
markets,  with  the  aim  of  developing  a  methodology  for  studying  the  mechanisms 
of vulnerability across different consumer markets. It is expected to propose more 
refined investigation tools for use in future Scoreboards and market studies.

A number of underperforming markets have already been analysed based on previ-
ous Scoreboard findings and remedies are being implemented.

A pilot behavioural study on consumers’ decision-making in the retail investments 
sector55 showed that fewer than two in 100 consumers were able to select the right 
investment options. It also revealed that consumers rely heavily on advice, despite 
potential conflicts of interest. The findings informed the Commission’s proposal for 
the review of the Packaged Retail Investment Products (PRIPS) legislation,56 which 
introduced simpler and standardised information requirements.

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55 

56 

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/strategy/docs/final_report_en.pdf

Proposal  for  a  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  key  information  docu-
ments for investment products (COM(2012) 352/3).

63

Studies  on  current  bank  accounts  found  that  opaque  and  complex  tariffs  are 
linked to higher current account prices57 and that eight out of ten consumers face 
difficulties when switching a bank account.58 To remedy the situation, and following 
the failure of EU level self-regulatory initiatives, a legislative initiative on bank ac-
counts is being prepared, which includes rules aimed at giving all EU citizens access 
to a basic payment account, ensuring that bank account fees are transparent and 
comparable, and making it easier to switch bank accounts. This initiative is among 
the 12 key actions proposed by the Commission in its recent Single Market Act II59
aimed at reviving the Single Market.

The retail electricity study60 showed that consumers in many countries continue to 
struggle with price comparison and switching. It estimated that 62 % of consumers 
could switch to a cheaper tariff, representing a potential average annual saving of 
EUR 13 billion EU-wide. As a follow-up, good practice guidelines for price compari-
son and the switching process were developed by the regulators and the Commis-
sion set up a multi-stakeholder group on tariff transparency in energy.

The  study  on  e-commerce  in  goods61  showed  that  the  untapped  potential  ben-
efits  of  e-commerce  are  significant,  especially  in  the  cross-border  context.  If  e-
commerce were to grow to 15 % of the total retail sector and single market barriers 
were eliminated, total consumer welfare gains are estimated at around 1.7 % of the 
EU’s GDP. The study set out the need for action in relation to enforcement, redress 
and  improved  transparency  of  offers  to  consumers.  The  findings  fed  into  the  re-
cently adopted e-commerce package and will inform the planned follow-up actions 
to boost consumers’ confidence in online transactions.

Studies  on  the  markets  for  meat  and  internet  service  provision  –  launched  as  a 
follow-up to the 4th Consumer Markets Scoreboard – have just been finalised and 
the relevant conclusions are being drawn.

The  study  on  meat  shows  that  date  label,  price  and  the  country  of  origin  are  the 
information consumers look for most and this information is also available on the 
vast majority of products (but less so in butchers’ shops). Consumers’ understand-
ing of information, however, is limited, as is their interest in nutritional information, 
although they care about the impact of meat consumption on health. They say that 
they would like to buy some types of meat, such as organic or with an environmen-
tal  certificate,  more  often  but  perceive  them  as  too  expensive.  Indeed,  the  study 
shows  that  organic  meat  is  66 %  more  expensive  and  quality/origin  certified  meat 
20 % more expensive.

The study on internet service provision identified a substantial incidence of prob-
lems  among  consumers  (37 %  across  the  EU).  Additionally,  the  evaluation  of  com-
parison websites in 22 countries showed that in many cases these websites do not 
appear  to  be  providing  consumers  with  reliable  or  trustworthy  information  (only 
41 % of comparison websites were rated as helpful). The study estimated that con-
sumers in the EU27 Member States could save between EUR 7.3 and 8.6 billion per 
year by switching to the provider offering the cheapest tariff for the same service 
elements.  This  is  equivalent  to  average  household  savings  of  over  EUR  100  per 
year.

Studies  on  the  markets  for  consumer  credit  and  vehicle  fuels  –  launched  as  a 
follow-up to the 6th Scoreboard – are currently ongoing.

57

58

59 

60

61

Data collection for prices of current accounts provided to consumers, Study on behalf of the European 
Commission,  Directorate  General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2009  –  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/
strategy/docs/prices_current_accounts_report_en.pdf.

Consumer  Market  Study  on  the  consumers’  experiences  with  bank  account  switching  with  reference 
to  the  Common  Principles  on  Bank  Account  Switching,  Study  on  behalf  of  the  European  Commis-
sion,  Directorate-General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2012  –  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/
fin_serv_en.htm#fin.

COM(2012) 573 final

The functioning of retail electricity markets for consumers in the European Union, Study on behalf of 
the  European  Commission,  Directorate-General  for  Health  and  Consumers,  2010  –  http://ec.europa.
eu/consumers/consumer_research/market_studies/docs/retail_electricity_full_study_en.pdf.

Consumer  market  study  on  the  functioning  of  e-commerce  and  Internet  marketing  and  sellingtech-
niques  in  the  retail  of  goods,  Study  on  behalf  of  the  European  Commission,  Directorate-General  for 
Health  and  Consumers,  2011  –  http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumer_research/market_studies/
docs/study_ecommerce_goods_en.pdf.

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64

ANNEX I (cid:8) PRICES

Table 4: Indicative price levels for consumer products in euro, June 2011

The data presented in Table 4 come from a Eurostat research project carried out with national statistical offices. The three Member States for which information is missing chose not to 
participate in the project.

Item Name

AT

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

ES

FI

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

TR

UK

Long-grain rice, all

2.09

2.03

1.3

Wheat flour, all

1.03

1.01

0.61

Cornflakes, all

4.19

5.14

:

Bread, white, loaf

4.98

2.66

0.73

Pizza, frozen, all

3.89

3.37

2.54

Pasta, without eggs, all

2.76

1.63

1.67

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.47

1.37

1.32

0.49

4.13

3.16

2

0.93

:

:

:

:

3.91

2.78

3.31

1.91

1.25

Beef, minced

6.34

9.33

:

14.7

8.97

3.35

Pork, cutlet (‘escalope’)

9.33

9.44

3.93

23.3

4.68

:

Sausage, Frankfurter/Wiener

:

:

3.45

10.3

8.49

4.87

Sausage, salami type

18.1

16.2

9.42

Salmon, steak 

(Atlantic salmon – salmo salar)

:

19.2

:

Tinned pink tuna 

(Skipjack, Thunnus Thynn, 

Albacares = yellow fin)

8.31

9.4

5.85

Fish fingers, all

:

3.93

2.34

:

:

:

:

6.52

7.21

16

16

8.56

13

4.1

:

1.25

2.28

1.99

1.23

0.74

:

0.69

:

:

8.38

5.89

:

:

:

1.91

2.48

1.07

3.07

1.27

:

1.97

1.88

0.99

1.41

2.23

1.55

2.18

3.01

0.84

0.76

0.76

0.92

0.72

0.93

1.03

0.59

0.75

0.8

0.88

0.51

0.82

4.69

5.93

5.02

4.67

6.21

2.79

3.13

3.68

3.66

3.78

5.11

3.59

5.79

1

:

:

:

:

1.07

2.18

2.59

2.74

1.64

3.65

1.61

1.97

1.21

1.12

2

1.09

1.78

:

0.96

1.74

2.74

:

4.95

6.81

2.47

3.85

:

4.19

3.05

2.26

4.05

3.31

3.45

2.94

:

2.34

2.53

2.17

1.53

2.08

1.97

1.95

:

1.38

2.22

1.19

2.09

2.06

2.23

0.85

:

:

8.67

7.73

8.64

9.67

4.58

9.18

:

6.08

4.54

3.03

5.87

4.09

:

:

9.68

6.84

4.25

:

8.39

3.9

10.3

4.57

4.54

10.1

3.26

4.36

4.91

5.62

4.91

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

12.7

5.26

6.83

5.4

14

12.5

:

:

:

13.6

9.28

4.94

13.6

:

6.84

7.23

4

6.26

4.67

8.08

5.67

3.56

:

:

7.64

4.37

11.2

3.93

:

2.45

3.95

5.38

4.09

6.19

4.6

:

17.5

10.1

15

10.1

16.6

12.4

8.07

:

5.16

11.4

7.34

6.17

:

:

:

:

14.3

16.4

12.2

13.3

10.5

16.6

:

11.4

:

18.9

8.88

9.87

:

:

:

:

:

6.63

11.3

:

10.8

5.35

5.35

6.39

6.79

:

:

4.67

1.83

3.5

3.7

2.81

2.66

3.45

:

:

:

:

14.9

:

:

:

:

5.04

17.5

:

:

7.81

:

Pork, loin chop

Whole chicken

:

:

3.98

4.67

4.09

2.53

Chicken breast, fillets

11.2

11.2

5.09

:

:

:

3.88

2.41

9.81

5.7

6.04

8.2

4.37

4.29

6.21

4.62

8.27

8.13

7.04

4.14

9.6

3.46

5.81

6.51

3.61

4.06

4.34

5.34

4.58

2.78

4.09

2.9

2.78

3.68

4.53

4.47

2.53

5.64

2.52

2.72

4.45

1.74

2.35

2.38

3.57

2.48

2.18

3.52

Milk, fresh, unskimmed, all

0.93

:

0.94

1.28

1.3

0.82

0.7

Natural yoghurt, all

Fruit yoghurt, all

:

:

2.69

1.05

2.99

4.04

1.77

3.28

2.76

2.94

8.47

2.56

Cream cheese, all

1.53

2.25

Cheese, Camembert type

9

7.07

Cheese, Gouda type

8.22

8.09

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.11

1.58

:

9.77

8.8

9.52

7.48

:

1.23

0.8

0.83

0.86

1.11

0.66

1.46

0.84

1.27

3.28

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

1.82

1.84

2.17

:

:

:

1.1

11.9

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

4.47

2.59

3.21

2.89

4.47

3.45

4.09

1.67

2.35

1.13

1.84

14.1

:

10.7

8.79

7.91

9.65

:

9.27

0.79

0.65

0.69

0.78

1.03

0.79

0.85

0.79

0.82

3.73

0.82

1.59

3.27

1.42

1.86

:

:

1.5

2.32

1.59

1.29

2.53

2.29

2.5

:

1.67

:

1.03

2.06

1.41

:

1.57

1.29

15.8

6.26

9.09

:

15.5

12.1

9.31

14.5

6.96

4.73

8.4

:

8.69

8.34

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

EL

3

2.08

2.74

:

1.76

:

:

5.43

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

6.82

13.4

:

:

1.41

:

:

:

:

:

5.33

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

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AT

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

EL

ES

FI

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

TR

UK

65

Item Name

Chicken eggs

Butter, all

Margarine, all

Olive oil, all

2.58

2.15

1.17

5.46

2.35

0.92

:

1.6

1.7

1.96

2.45

2.35

1.43

1.28

1.05

:

:

7.59

6.8

7.2

Vegetable oil, all

3.36

2.12

1.57

Apples

1.92

1.36

1.1

Fresh bananas

1.76

2.08

1.29

Canned fruit

Fresh carrots

:

2.39

:

1.39

0.91

0.68

Fresh tomatoes, round

2.22

1.04

0.92

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

1.47

0.94

4.72

10.9

1.95

1.82

:

:

1.34

0.99

2.45

1.73

:

:

0.74

0.84

Potatoes

1.34

1.19

0.55

2.35

0.62

0.66

Tinned sweet corn, brandless

:

1.32

1.03

Frozen French fries, all

2.7

1.9

1.5

Potato crisps, single pack, all

1.65

1.09

:

:

:

:

1.07

:

2.37

1.25

1.49

1.56

White sugar

Jam, all

Chocolate, milk, all

9.28

12.1

7.59

13.2

13.3

8.52

4.57

3.49

4.23

:

4.05

4.42

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

Chewing gum, all

1.74

1.2

0.45

Ice cream, all

4.24

3.3

2.61

Baby food, meat base, all

2.74

3.32

2.88

Tomato ketchup, brandless

1.89

2.75

1.22

Mineral salt

Black pepper, all

Coffee, all

Black tea, all

:

:

:

0.47

0.29

5.55

2.22

11.9

8.02

2.07

1.48

1.33

Cocoa instant drink, powder, all

4.77

2.88

4.76

Mineral water, carbonated, all

0.35

0.45

0.3

Mineral water, still, all

:

0.48

0.21

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd   65
130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 65

1.01

0.51

4.5

:

3.39

3.23

2.44

1.95

1.24

:

0.21

3.27

2.36

8.99

10.8

1.14

0.8

6.95

:

1.03

0.34

0.26

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.72

1.28

2.88

1.06

:

:

:

:

1.12

2.05

0.89

1.08

5.48

2.8

:

9.99

2.6

2.46

:

3.36

1.88

1.25

1.83

1.69

1.9

1.23

1.14

1.76

:

2.92

:

:

1.7

1.36

:

2.05

0.72

0.95

1.02

1.49

1.7

0.99

1.28

:

2.2

1.45

0.59

0.69

0.86

0.95

0.9

:

:

:

:

:

1.84

:

:

:

:

:

1.92

1.92

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.22

2.23

1.09

2.48

1.17

0.86

1.69

1.11

1.22

1.2

1.57

1.42

0.95

3.03

0.89

2.13

1.73

1.95

1.8

1.96

1.19

:

:

1.66

1.87

2

2.02

1.67

0.64

0.89

0.73

0.78

0.75

2.04

0.73

0.61

0.85

0.67

0.81

0.72

0.61

6.1

5.01

6.94

7.47

8.08

4.87

5.05

9.27

3.95

7.41

8.98

9.62

4.51

2.52

1.88

1.92

3.16

2.4

:

1.3

1.72

1.63

1.78

2.33

1.81

2.19

:

:

:

1.46

1.88

1.46

2.38

1.27

1.66

1.79

1.2

1.37

1.19

1.29

1.3

1.34

1.98

1.61

1.81

1.26

2.09

1.18

1.53

1.78

1.2

1.64

1.05

1.21

1.3

1.59

:

2.37

3.82

:

3.08

1.82

2.15

2.12

1.77

:

1.84

1.88

:

1.7

1.31

0.63

1.1

0.66

1

1.17

0.7

0.64

0.62

1.15

0.85

:

:

2.03

0.85

1.93

2.17

1.14

1.83

1.49

1.47

1.26

1.02

1.22

0.85

1.54

1.38

0.49

:

0.88

1.06

0.9

1.24

0.71

0.6

1.38

0.64

0.7

0.49

0.83

0.79

0.52

0.75

0.87

1.81

0.8

1.41

2.86

2.33

1.99

1.51

:

:

1.03

:

1.11

0.89

1.36

1.55

0.99

3.13

1.43

2.57

1.35

1.89

1.64

1.8

:

:

2.15

1.56

1.56

1.62

1.77

:

0.96

1.75

1.41

1.26

2.08

1.46

1.35

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

0.31

:

:

:

:

:

:

6.3

3.11

5.19

2.77

10.9

0.96

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

14.1

7.06

2.13

6.55

:

0.28

:

:

:

:

10.1

9.44

:

0.55

2.19

4.08

:

:

:

:

:

:

3.01

:

0.34

2.12

9.92

1.27

6.92

:

:

:

0.25

0.25

# EN

4.94

4.61

3.27

3.96

9.99

10.9

8.37

12

:

:

0.51

:

0.45

0.9

0.45

2.69

3.18

2.61

4.2

3.56

6.91

3.57

3.63

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

3.11

3.23

5.84

3.22

3.45

:

3.49

3.19

8.55

:

8.46

7.62

8.62

8.49

9.67

0.5

0.54

0.84

0.46

0.48

:

0.72

:

:

1.71

2.4

2.72

3.45

3.42

3.14

4.17

2.47

2.35

3.41

:

4.83

:

:

:

:

:

1.03

2.69

1.04

2.64

2.13

2.47

2.07

2.53

2.84

2.49

2.13

0.83

0.42

0.38

0.93

0.3

0.26

0.47

0.26

1.57

2.25

:

:

0.37

0.44

0.24

0.48

2.2

2.04

:

1.05

4.34

3.74

2.94

4.89

:

8.29

10.8

12.5

13.2

14.1

:

:

9.05

9.67

8.83

11.3

7.67

10.8

34.6

12.8

:

:

:

:

1.9

1.37

1.45

2.04

1.34

2.39

4.76

:

5.02

6.06

:

:

:

:

1.46

1.34

1.43

:

0.97

5.74

9.14

5.27

:

4.92

:

11.8

0.78

0.25

0.41

0.69

0.38

1.08

0.33

0.33

:

0.3

0.31

0.33

0.79

:

0.25

0.49

0.4

:

:

0.37

0.32

0.3

0.29

:

0.35

:

:

:

:

:

31.05.2013   16:28:14 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:14 Uhr

0.99

0.92

1.23

1.8

1.26

0.99

0.76

1.33

0.99

0.94

0.95

1.21

1.05

1.4

1.06

1.12

1.05

1.21

1.16

0.9

1.07

1.02

1.24

1.06

1.14

1.18

1.16

66

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Item Name

AT

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

EL

ES

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

TR

UK

:

:

0.58

0.71

0.74

0.59

0.97

:

0.96

0.75

:

0.48

0.64

0.52

0.7

:

1.22

0.78

1.07

1.4

1.3

12.7

26.6

40.4

:

:

1.3

1.21

1.33

1.44

1.51

1.12

12.3

12.2

11.5

15.9

:

:

1.45

9.46

:

:

:

1.31

0.73

2.48

13.1

:

19.9

1.92

7.22

6.68

8.7

1.38

5.23

4.16

3.74

2.23

2.89

4.4

1.04

2.41

9.23

1.38

4.01

4.25

4.27

2.07

3.02

4.45

1.06

2.19

1.03

1.84

:

6.66

5.42

1.69

1.31

2.24

1.51

:

1.49

1.32

1.77

1.45

1.81

1.27

2.6

:

4.13

5.25

2.42

5.73

3.52

2.95

2.23

4.1

2.76

4.34

5.17

2.85

3.73

2.7

3.2

2.7

2.3

7.87

Carbonated drink, orange flavoured, 

all

0.76

:

0.4

Orange juice, all

1.31

1.38

1.07

:

:

:

:

:

0.95

0.71

1.2

1.25

12.1

11.5

4.88

2.29

3.6

1.97

:

:

:

:

:

12.5

16.2

9.33

4.46

4.17

:

:

2.95

1.95

1.6

1.48

0.99

1.92

2.33

1.51

1.53

Vodka, all

Red wine

White wine

Beer, all

Cigarettes

Men’s suit, wool, all

Men’s trousers, all

211

62.9

:

:

94.9

23.4

Men’s blue jeans, all

72.3

56.1

35.9

Men’s shirt, all

35.8

38.9

20.4

Men’s T-shirt, short sleeves, all

23.1

16.9

12.2

Men’s boxer briefs, all

13.5

11

3.92

Ladies’ top coat, all

Ladies’ blazer, woolmix, all

121

119

:

:

69.6

33.3

Ladies’ straight trousers, synthetic, all

42.9

56.2

:

Ladies’ jeans, all

64.1

52.4

26.7

Ladies’ skirt, all

58.4

:

21.2

Ladies’ blouse, all

43

47.8

19.9

Ladies’ T-shirt

26.3

19.5

10.5

Ladies’ pullover, all

40.3

:

:

Brassiere, push-up, all

26.2

31.9

10

Tights, all

7.19

5.27

1.75

Children’ s jeans trousers

26.4

30.6

15.4

Children’ T-shirt, long sleeves

Girls’ skirt, all

Girls’ tights, all

:

:

:

:

6.42

26.8

:

:

2.12

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

230

213

57.8

43.4

46

41

30.4

20.8

14.7

14.4

6.86

6.83

161

141

97.3

61.4

39.2

35.6

38.7

40.1

45.5

37.1

31.5

26.6

10.5

13.3

16.2

22.8

26.8

21

4.88

1.42

24.4

18.8

12.6

14.3

29

13.3

6.01

4.95

:

:

:

:

:

:

22.2

4.75

3.96

2.18

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.46

3.22

:

:

:

:

39.8

51.5

:

45.8

6.67

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

59.7

:

:

:

:

:

4.16

20.6

31.3

:

:

:

:

:

:

FI

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

0.68

0.66

1.32

:

:

:

2.45

8.47

5.65

119

38.7

34.5

21.1

14.4

5.69

:

:

25

29.5

:

:

11.9

22.1

:

1.87

18.2

8.2

12.4

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

202

63.6

65.3

30.5

:

:

29.9

11

7.99

6.56

:

:

:

:

:

142

72.1

39.6

69.8

34.1

54.2

32.5

22

16.2

:

31.5

20.4

15.2

3.4

2.65

25.8

22.3

:

:

:

10.3

17.4

4.37

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

272

118

32.4

71.7

32.1

:

:

90.6

232

192

93.9

31

68.36

59.8

24.8

28.9

12.5

33

18

73.3

:

47.4

23.6

52.9

50.5

28.6

37.7

22

35.3

14.2

37.4

27.2

20.3

27.2

9.14

17.9

13

5.86

13.7

9.56

:

18.7

17.4

6.72

7.05

5.63

9.59

3.75

9.82

8.78

:

:

:

:

152

82.5

:

:

:

:

:

67.2

76.8

85.8

:

:

26.8

34

54.3

17.1

59.3

32.6

27.5

36.9

57.3

29.5

46.2

22.8

52.9

44

28.5

32.9

48.4

:

:

18.8

54.4

33.6

29.2

33.2

21.7

27.7

32.5

:

16.9

19.5

22

13

37.3

13.6

42

30.7

:

19.8

9.27

25.6

16.6

9.75

21.9

10.3

:

:

38.5

:

23.9

15.1

2.36

4.31

2.52

0.93

:

:

:

:

35.2

34.4

:

10

24.8

19.9

11

2.22

4.18

2.4

:

3.61

17.3

21.5

22

16.5

22.8

13.2

27.2

19.1

13.3

13.6

:

11.3

9.12

10.3

6.63

9.82

9.16

6.9

18.5

16.1

13.3

3.65

:

:

3.5

:

:

9.9

:

14.41

3.18

3.91

4.83

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd   66
130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 66

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:14 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:14 Uhr

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

Item Name

Boys’ socks, all

Dry cleaning

AT

:

2.84

0.87

14.1

15.6

4.7

Men’s lace-up shoes, all

88.8

102

32.4

Men’s street shoes, all

:

66

20.9

Ladies’ conventional court shoes, all

78.4

84.9

29.5

Ladies’ long boots, all

79.8

127

54.2

Children’s sport shoes, all

43.8

:

12.7

Services, Cobbler

Paint, indoor use, all

Silicone, all

Cement

:

:

:

9.3

1.96

94.9

16.4

5.77

2.47

4.93

4.41

2.9

Double bed frame, pressboard, all

:

421

107

Sofa set, all

Towel, all

Refrigerator, undercounter, with 

freezer, all

Fridge-freezer, all

Washing machine, all

Microwave oven, all

Vacuum cleaner, all

Kettle, all

Glass, water, all

Flat plate, all

Cup and saucer

Cooking pot, stainless steel, all

Battery

Light bulb

2023

:

:

20.4

18.1

6.27

:

317

185

687

709

87

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

368

253

50.8

48.5

33.8

27.8

1.25

0.96

5.37

0.91

5.24

1.52

:

10.5

1.28

1.61

0.6

:

:

0.36

Light bulb energy saving type

9.18

6.72

4.77

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.68

1.55

10.5

8.2

79.3

57.4

61.2

47.5

74.2

51.9

94.8

73.3

39.2

25.4

7.67

4.72

47.9

:

6.35

4.3

3.3

:

739

373

1988

902

11.6

10.8

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

201

408

335

682

463

:

468

401

391

104

60.6

76.3

139

125

57.7

39.2

1.12

1.09

2.38

2.8

3.13

4.27

28.9

34.9

1.03

0.39

0.57

:

4.97

6.24

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

EL

:

:

8.66

10.4

58.3

57.3

53.6

:

:

:

:

:

:

41.6

4.94

3.75

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

37.5

3.27

:

:

:

17.2

:

552

:

66

:

:

:

2.67

:

:

0.69

0.97

:

:

:

4.82

ES

FI

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

TR

UK

67

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

1.45

9.24

50.8

39.8

46.8

:

23.2

4.04

15.3

:

2.79

195

719

7.71

219

337

294

61.5

59.1

23

0.73

1.73

:

24

0.97

:

5.47

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

3.3

1.62

9.51

12.7

:

57.8

61.7

27.9

83.9

125

:

73.9

44.5

18.7

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

5.53

4.08

11.2

41.7

39.4

50.4

1.23

:

1.59

1.28

:

1.1

2.68

1.65

0.95

:

10.1

10.3

15.7

7.62

7.39

5.25

12.6

7.13

3.97

12.1

54.1

105

39.3

50.9

43.4

63.8

55.4

51.4

56

:

:

:

112

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

33

79

30.5

47.2

71.7

37.8

31.8

:

36.9

39.8

44.4

59.3

51.4

33.8

96.2

:

:

71.37

:

46.6

32.8

27.8

13.9

26.6

21.8

25.2

9.93

3.61

4.19

2.24

7.3

3.36

1.82

40.9

55.8

19.4

:

21.5

:

42.4

:

:

:

:

2.77

5.46

2.82

3.79

3.16

3.62

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.63

3.13

2.73

278

649

:

:

212

:

3.37

:

:

:

:

:

382

1665

2.87

:

:

7.92

14.8

7.77

8.72

8.17

5.01

216

:

:

:

:

:

:

3.09

2.84

2.81

154

:

295

206

559

1337

773

1144

6.25

8.35

11.2

9.37

340

:

225

709

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

416

337

422

309

137

62.9

128

58

:

29.2

331

643

482

275

411

193

541

373

:

330

632

561

283

281

253

500

323

416

370

:

207

101

:

:

:

81.7

:

54.8

:

72.5

:

87.8

86.6

49.6

150

67.2

87.3

30.8

43.2

39.8

31

1.6

0.74

1.07

1.06

3.41

2.43

3.17

1.55

3.07

2.46

51.3

35.3

:

18.9

:

:

:

:

0.71

2.5

:

3.06

5.23

5.34

52.1

:

:

:

:

:

:

29.2

:

30.1

28.3

0.88

1.23

1.51

0.22

1.55

:

:

:

:

47.1

:

:

:

1.73

:

17.3

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

0.75

0.93

1.26

0.62

0.92

0.66

1.24

1.08

0.34

1.06

1.16

1.09

0.59

0.57

:

0.39

4.79

7.25

4.41

6.7

4.4

5.9

5.6

5.19

:

0.84

1.18

0.41

:

:

0.41

:

0.66

0.34

1.28

4.57

5.97

4.72

2.51

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd   67
130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 67

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:14 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:14 Uhr

68

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Item Name

AT

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

EL

ES

FI

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

Detergent for washing machine, 

concentrated, all

Dish washer tablets, all

Detergent for washing machine, 

unconcentrated, all

:

:

:

5.02

2.17

1.12

2.55

:

:

All-purposes household cleaner, all

2.18

1.78

1.66

Cleaner for WC, all

Cleaning liquid for windows, all

Scourer sponge, all

:

:

:

2.08

1.99

3.58

2.51

1.06

0.24

Urban bus transport, single ticket

1.56

1.35

0.42

Taxi

Television

DVD recorder with hard disc, all

Portable MP3 player

Compact digital camera, all

Camcorder, HDD, all

Laptop

Monitor, Full HD, 22", all

10.1

9.86

2.15

768

326

:

:

279

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

430

:

:

108

:

469

185

:

Music CD – Pop Chart

17

17.6

9.54

Movie DVD

11.6

18.9

6.7

Blank compact disc (CD-R)

Blank DVD (R), slimcase, all

:

12.5

:

:

0.31

4.39

Board game, Monopoly

31.4

31.7

21.5

Video game, PlayStation 3

Potting soil

Dog food, meat

:

:

:

53.2

42.7

2.39

1.64

2.46

1.61

Dog food dry

1.88

1.73

2.11

Digital photo print service

7.8

7.2

5.32

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.7

2.26

2.6

2.24

:

1.75

2.52

2.19

2.65

2.67

3.81

0.37

0.37

1

0.43

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

3.09

2.34

2.98

2.58

0.62

0.67

1.2

6.5

6.21

10.4

5.06

:

381

430

554

354

447

200

272

192

80.5

96.8

145

:

299

582

600

165

161

17.3

11.8

19.1

13.2

0.63

0.36

8.85

3.95

35

49

:

:

1.75

1.89

1.95

1.59

2.23

2.22

9

8.95

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

162

92.8

:

:

174

:

:

0.4

:

:

:

2.5

:

:

3.33

7.76

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.61

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.31

2.49

:

:

:

3.39

:

0.93

5.6

507

:

:

108

329

547

174

13

11.7

0.6

8.06

31.9

51.8

1.76

1.63

1.7

6.37

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

SK

TR

UK

SI

:

2.47

2.14

:

:

4.06

:

2.63

3.08

2.51

5.49

2.76

3.04

4.08

:

:

2.74

0.91

:

2.45

1.7

:

3.08

:

:

3.51

2.58

2.07

1.61

2.99

2.53

2.57

1.99

3.39

2.58

2.68

3.22

0.37

:

0.36

0.61

2.11

1.08

0.49

1.5

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

8.82

:

3.05

:

:

1.26

2.26

2.28

2.73

2.35

2.73

2.08

2.46

:

3.27

3.25

1.28

:

1.46

2.47

2.99

2.49

1.51

3.91

1.2

2.97

2.48

2.56

2.32

2.32

2.32

3.1

2.49

3.12

4.21

2.81

0.26

:

:

0.47

1.12

0.58

:

:

:

:

3.61

:

0.39

0.49

0.35

0.4

0.84

0.51

0.63

440

483

:

:

:

267

144

140

254

396

:

:

437

124

:

:

18.1

15.2

15.5

14.9

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

4.71

:

14.1

3.88

5.39

2.1

6.3

4.72

1.93

419

416

608

401

432

364

599

425

453

:

:

:

:

288

253

:

:

:

169

171

124

153

150

130

:

:

:

:

:

284

283

752

658

638

574

:

:

346

537

:

133

165

160

:

:

:

158

:

:

206

226

141

:

:

:

:

:

488

607

150

:

250

:

:

:

:

:

15.2

9.86

13.3

7.64

13.9

11.9

6.27

11.2

:

9.07

:

:

:

19.5

15

:

17.9

10.2

14.9

11.7

:

0.79

0.31

0.67

0.27

0.36

0.32

0.2

13.6

3.88

7.11

3.53

3.6

4.22

1.21

0.38

0.8

0.69

12.1

4.53

6.25

30.6

28.4

:

46.4

:

53.7

:

:

:

:

:

:

33

:

50.3

53.4

35

1.99

0.85

2.44

1.69

2.51

1

1.11

:

:

:

:

:

1.77

:

:

:

31.7

41.1

1.47

3.64

2.92

:

:

1.71

1.38

1.78

2.11

1.08

:

1.78

1.8

1.69

1.96

1.57

:

:

:

1.77

1.53

2.35

2.57

1.85

5.81

:

4.06

:

:

5.7

:

:

2.32

7.51

4.94

:

7.5

7.56

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd   68
130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 68

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:14 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:14 Uhr

AT

BE

BG

CH

CY

CZ

DE

EE

EL

ES

FI

HU

IE

IS

IT

LT

LU

LV

MT

NL

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

TR

UK

69

8.51

8.11

3.68

14.1

19.9

6.75

:

:

18.6

12.1

7

3.93

7.36

4.8

9.03

7.02

7.4

3.81

7.67

:

5.4

8.77

3.93

5.34

2.94

4.98

3.07

4.28

:

10.4

:

12.8

10.2

17

8.86

14

8.36

:

10.3

8.16

:

:

Item Name

Cinema ticket

Novel

Daily newspaper

:

1.04

0.47

2.55

1.95

0.67

1.2

0.65

1.3

0.79

0.53

1.48

0.44

1.03

0.42

1.21

0.4

0.21

0.31

4

1.36

1.51

1.2

:

5.4

:

0.73

2.15

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

8.04

:

1.15

1.3

4.92

4.46

:

:

2.1

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.82

130

:

Magazine, weekly, gossip

3.37

:

0.64

Paper for multiple purposes

:

5.23

3.93

Pencil, all

0.63

0.73

0.26

:

:

:

4.31

3.81

0.49

:

:

Menu of the day

7.48

20.7

3.43

16.9

18.3

Red house wine – glass

2.09

2.87

1.14

:

4.03

1.22

Beer (lager), domestic – glass

3.19

1.86

0.72

3.9

3

1.16

Cup of coffee

Hotel weekend

2.48

1.92

0.52

3.25

1.82

0.87

1.86

62.2

:

76.2

117

112

10.8

6.6

:

:

Men’s scissors cut, wet

22.5

18

4.13

Ladies – haircut

43.2

32.6

8.49

Electric razor, all

92.5

:

57.2

Electric toothbrush, all

86.5

46.5

21.5

Cartridges for safety razor, men, all

12.1

13.9

7.59

Shampoo

Tooth paste

4.35

3.76

4.29

2.8

2.08

1.57

Toilet soap, liquid, all

:

1.64

1.03

Shower gel, all

Deodorant, all

Tampons, all

2.63

2.25

2.19

3.01

2.37

1.88

1.45

:

1.27

Disposable nappies, all

9.89

10.6

10.1

Cotton buds, all

:

0.75

0.47

Manual toothbrush, all

3.55

2.38

1.37

Toilet paper, all

3.78

3.63

2.96

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

18.4

14.5

33

13

18.3

105

102

56.5

42

16.6

10.4

:

:

:

4.1

3.75

3.82

:

:

:

:

85.7

:

:

4.09

3.13

1.76

1.3

1.69

1.91

3.02

2.94

2.82

2.37

1.25

16.7

10.4

0.75

0.46

2.73

1.62

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

4.66

3.1

3.09

1.63

3.28

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

1.47

:

3.68

1.86

:

0.65

2.85

5.37

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

11.8

0.55

0.73

:

0.31

3.89

0.62

0.85

0.85

121

6.25

11.8

45.8

:

9.54

4.86

2.01

1.33

2.4

2.44

1.35

11.1

:

1.9

3.32

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

4.17

4.7

4.38

4.13

0.63

0.3

0.77

3.34

11

1.64

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.54

4.01

:

4

1.35

0.66

:

0.98

2.13

:

3.56

5.48

3.78

2.77

0.3

0.77

0.22

0.47

0.26

0.58

0.23

0.26

:

:

25.9

5.68

:

3.99

8.34

3.18

3.44

1.64

0.83

0.6

:

0.76

:

:

:

:

:

:

2.3

1.08

2.21

1.34

1.77

2.31

1.27

0.9

0.8

2.95

0.86

2.02

1.75

2.35

0.89

0.84

2.12

0.87

1.38

2.05

1.18

0.58

0.98

1.16

1.02

:

2.15

:

:

:

:

:

13.6

:

119

:

:

135

214

:

150

80.6

17.4

7.82

27.3

6.59

8

22.2

3.87

9.85

4.8

:

:

104

46.4

:

4.14

17.7

12.6

50.9

11.3

19.1

35.2

7.32

:

7.53

31

9.08

5.89

:

:

:

69.3

28.5

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

9.4

10.3

11.3

7.56

16.4

48.8

96.8

:

109

73.9

:

:

:

:

16.5

:

:

:

37.5

8.07

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

4.72

4.78

2.97

4.62

4.29

3.46

2.1

2.21

5.07

4.63

3.55

3.73

1.9

2.17

3.32

2.42

1.78

3.04

1.86

2.86

3.33

1.71

3.1

2.25

2.64

1.47

3.24

1.07

1.9

1.67

1.38

:

2.53

1.12

1.15

1.64

1.77

:

1.62

0.64

:

:

3.23

2.44

2.07

2.21

2.52

2.81

1.99

2.82

3.67

2.93

2.26

2.82

:

2.28

2.46

3.02

2.56

2.79

1.48

:

1.3

2.06

:

:

2.5

2.33

:

1.27

:

:

3.11

2.63

1.71

1.44

:

:

2.7

2.39

1.29

:

10.1

15.3

12.9

11.5

14.2

13.6

10.2

9.7

10.5

12.5

9.9

11.1

6.64

1.3

:

0.52

0.54

2.35

2.18

1.71

2.04

:

:

0.68

0.17

0.95

:

0.67

:

0.39

0.85

3.03

2.54

1.74

2.92

:

2.76

1.61

2.72

3.8

4.4

3.15

3.62

3.24

4.12

2.96

2.7

1.97

3.5

3

2.91

3.09

:

:

:

:

:

:

130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd   69
130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 69

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:15 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:15 Uhr

70

Table 5: Prices of goods and services

C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

The data presented in Table 5 are based on several sources. The prices of electricity and natural 
gas are based on Eurostat figures for domestic consumers, and are shown both before and after 
taxes (new methodology from 2007 onwards). They refer to the year 2011 and are expressed in 
euros per kilowatt-hour (for electricity) and in euros per Gigajoule (for natural gas). The gas prices 

are  broken  down  according  to  the  following  annual  consumption  bands:  below  20 GJ  (small),  be-
tween 20 and 200 GJ (medium) and above 200 GJ (large). The electricity prices are broken down 
according to the following annual consumption bands: below 1 MWh (very small), between 1 and 
2.5 MWh  (small),  between  2.5  and  5 MWh  (medium),  between  5  and  15 MWh  (large)  and  above 

BE

BG

CZ

DK

DE

EE

IE

EL

ES

FR

IT

CY

LV

LT

LU

HU

MT

NL

AT

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

FI

SE

UK

IS

NO

Item Name

Gas < 20 GJ

21.6 10.67 21.87 14.94 22.16 13.13 16.81

20 GJ < Gas < 200 GJ

16.29 10.92 13.77 14.94 13.28 9.49 14.36

Gas > 200 GJ

Gas < 20 GJ + tax

14.8 10.98 13.07 14.94 12.43 8.57 13.25

26.71 12.81 26.25 30.14 29.14 16.51 19.96

20 GJ < Gas < 200 GJ + tax

20.31 13.1 16.53 30.14 17.77 12.14 17.17

18.43 13.18 15.69 30.14 16.76 11.04 15.92

Gas > 200 GJ + tax

Electricity < 1 MWh

:

:

:

:

:

:

16.17 30.12 22.3

12.72 14.94 15.62

13.85 12.59 12.54

19.08 36.21 30.35

15

17.95 24.32

16.35 15.08 21.17

:

:

:

:

:

:

16.2 17.16 18.39 13.89

9.91 12.39 14.55 12.66

9.88 10.64 13.32 12.2

20.35 20.77 20.1 17.36

12.69 14.99 16.09 15.82

12.64 12.87 15.18 15.26

:

:

:

:

:

:

23.11 17.97 13.33 22.69 3.89 19.41 23.48

13.5 14.83 11.3 17.86 3.99

17.1 11.85

14.6 12.96 10.39 14.83 3.93 14.95 11.83

32.7 24.29 16.4 25.95 7.72 24.78 28.17

20.58 20.03 13.9 20.51 7.68 22.01 14.21

23.31 17.71 12.78 17.06 7.47 19.43 14.2

:

:

:

:

:

:

32.43 15.72

18.03 13.83

15.86 11.93

50.38 16.51

32.37 14.53

29.66 12.52

0.23 0.07 0.26 0.16 0.25 0.08

0.4

0.12

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.22

0.1

0.11 0.22 0.14 0.37 0.32 0.21

0.14

0.19 0.08 0.16

0.2

0.22 0.24

0.17

1 MWh < Electricity < 2.5 MWh

0.18 0.07 0.19

0.16

0.16 0.08

0.2

0.09 0.19

0.12 0.13

0.2

0.1

0.11

0.16

0.13

0.19

0.17

0.16

0.11

0.12 0.08 0.13

0.16

0.14

0.15

0.16

2.5 MWh < Electricity < 5 MWh

0.16 0.07 0.12 0.13

0.14 0.08 0.18

0.1

0.17

0.1

0.14

0.2

0.11

0.1

0.14

0.12

0.16

0.13

0.14

0.11

0.11 0.08 0.11

0.14

0.11

0.13 0.15

5 MWh < Electricity < 15 MWh

0.14

0.07

0.1

0.11

0.13 0.07 0.16

0.1

0.16 0.09 0.17

0.2

0.12

0.1

0.13

0.11

0.17

0.12 0.13

0.1

0.1

0.08 0.11

0.13

0.1

0.11

0.13

Electricity > 15 MWh

0.12 0.07 0.09 0.11

0.13 0.07

0.14

0.1

0.14 0.09

0.2

0.2

0.12 0.09 0.12

0.11

0.31

0.11

0.12

0.1

0.09 0.08

0.1

0.11 0.08

0.1

0.13

Electricity < 1 MWh + tax

0.3

0.09 0.31 0.33 0.38 0.11

0.53

0.14 0.38 0.25 0.25 0.27 0.12

0.14 0.25 0.18 0.39

:

0.29 0.18 0.38 0.11 0.23 0.25 0.29 0.34 0.17

1 MWh < Electricity < 2.5 MWh + tax

0.24 0.09 0.23 0.33 0.28 0.11 0.25 0.11 0.23 0.16

0.17

0.24 0.12 0.13 0.18

0.17

0.2

0.11 0.22 0.14

0.21

0.11

0.17

0.19

0.2

0.22 0.17

2.5 MWh < Electricity < 5 MWh + tax

0.21 0.09 0.15

0.3

0.25

0.1

0.21 0.12 0.21

0.14

0.21 0.24 0.13 0.12

0.17

0.16

0.17

0.18

0.2

0.14

0.19

0.11

0.15

0.17

0.16

0.2

0.16

5 MWh < Electricity < 15 MWh + tax

0.19 0.09 0.12 0.26 0.24

0.1

0.19

0.14

0.19

0.13 0.25 0.24

0.14

0.12 0.15 0.15 0.18 0.21 0.18 0.13

0.17

0.11

0.14

0.15

0.14

0.18

0.14

Electricity > 15 MWh + tax

0.16 0.09 0.11 0.26 0.23

0.1

0.16

0.14

0.18 0.13 0.29 0.24

0.14

0.11

0.14

0.15 0.33 0.18

0.16

0.13

0.16

0.11

0.12 0.13 0.12

0.16

0.13

TELEPHONE: Local calls (10 minutes)

0.63 0.16 0.65 0.13 0.29 0.25 0.58 0.32

0.3

0.36 0.22 0.18 0.36 0.39 0.31 0.46 0.25

0.6

0.54 0.51 0.37 0.24 0.29 0.75 0.34 0.29 0.77

TELEPHONE: National long 
distance calls (10 minutes)

Internet access 144 kbps–512 kbps

Internet access 512 kbps–1 Mbps

Internet access 1 Mbps–2 Mbps

0.63

0.5

0.65 0.13 0.29 0.25 0.92 0.76 0.97 0.77 1.15

0.18 1.04 0.79

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

7.96

:

20.98

:

57.4 54.47 38.56

:

35.66

:

11.73

12.54 10.52 28.5 14.72 22.45 33.08 44.43

34.98 9.57 31.38 25.62

:

34.26

:

:

:

55.61 41.34 36.69 9.34

53.83 47.63 11.97 11.26

:

:

:

:

1.12

22.8

25.72

:

:

:

14.9 37.29

0.6

0.54 1.02 0.38 0.24 0.29 1.15

1.01 0.29 0.77

:

:

:

:

:

20.11

20.07

17.75 28.77

:

:

:

12.26 21.55

:

19.48

:

:

:

16.78

19.79 11.86

22.51 22.48 13.24 27.99 12.71

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

0.35

0.21

0.14

0.09

0.08

0.45

0.28

0.19

0.13

0.12

:

:

:

23.93

31.59 22.06

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71

15 MWh (very large). Fuel prices (per 1,000 litres) are updated regularly by the Market Observa-
tory for Energy, set up by the European Commission, and refer to 2012. The price data on delivery 
services are taken from the study on Intra-community cross-border parcel delivery of December 
2011  –  http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/post/doc/studies/2011-parcel-delivery-study_en.pdf. 

The  broadband  internet  access  prices  (for  the  least  expensive  offer  with  line  rental)  come  from 
the  study  on  Broadband  internet  access  cost  published  in  August  2011  –  http://ec.europa.eu/
information_society/digital-agenda/scoreboard/docs/pillar/study_broadband_access_costs.pdf.

Item Name

BE

BG

CZ

DK

DE

EE

IE

EL

ES

FR

IT

CY

LV

LT

LU

HU

MT

NL

AT

PL

PT

RO

SI

SK

FI

SE

UK

IS

NO

Internet access 2 Mbps–4 Mbps

17.66 23.34 27.32 10.52

:

23.05 27.35 33.08 43.41

:

79.62 42.64

11

13.14

:

20.49 26.69 15.55

:

60.63 43.49 13.59 22.75 12.17 19.79 15.31

:

Internet access 4 Mbps–8 Mbps

30.59 23.04 33.34 11.47 19.73 27.68 31.46 22.44 39.07 34.16 32.79 53.57 11.97 11.73 29.04 22.93 18.98 22.46 16.58 23.23 49.45 14.91 33.52 25.48 26.42

17

37.39

:

:

31.13

29.96

Internet access 8 Mbps–12 Mbps

29.86 18.43 17.06 17.15

:

36.94 27.33

:

62.37

:

28.81 42.64 19.11 30.49 35.86 28.8 27.24

:

29.28 27.28

25

18.4 26.34 19.16 17.17 12.64 25.95 30.08 34.93

Internet access 12 Mbps–30 Mbps

27.88 18.43 33.78

16

21.03 30.47 34.84 22.44 43.68 27.97 27.74 75.44 15.23 16.42 29.04 17.83 87.72 20.36 20.42 32.95 30.95 12.18 19.48 16.12 24.76 22.06 23.62 55.14 32.19

Internet access 30+ Mbps

40.33 23.34 26.48 37.78 21.46 38.8 73.23

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg domestic letter

:

1.02

1.71

8.12

4.1

2.3

7.5

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg domestic parcel

5.7

1.64 1.71 10.07 6.9

3.26

7.5

:

3

4

74.87 27.97 38.49

:

18.19 11.26

5.1

5.35

8

1.2

3.98 1.42

6.6

7.51

11.4 1.28 4.29 2.69

:

3

7

23.71 134.75 31.8 51.16 41.46 48.82 12.65 32.32 20.27 17.17 19.81 41.22 34.14 44.39

3.33 3.68 2.76

3.75

2.49

4

3.43 3.02

2.2

14.2 6.55

7.73

3.81 1.77 8.05

4.3

4.27 4.05 0.85 3.73

2.8

8.5 15.93 12.63

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg domestic 
express product

5.9

2.66 5.73 10.07 13.9 5.52

25

8.52 15.51 18.2 15.6 2.99 5.08 3.68 28.3 11.47 2.33 27.74 10.22 10.05 4.8

7.08

9.79 6.15 13.8 47.54 18.25

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg cross-border letter

12

9.07 6.65 11.09 8.6

7.19

7.5

8.1

9.88 8.75

9

13.67 7.74

4.43

8

10.87 9.29 6.63 10.75 6.96 8.87 8.08

7.53

6.15 12.3 12.12 11.68

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg cross-border parcel

18.53 14.9 18.81 29.55

17

11.1 28.68 25.97 13.69

14

34.48 23.92 16.34 15.81 17.31 28.07 10.15 13.37 14.15 11.22 11.29 8.05 10.41 8.73 39.66 22.65 18.51

POSTAL SERVICES: 2 kg cross-border 
express product

27.37 44.62 35.3 29.55 75.9 46.09 67.56 43.68 29.37 53.11 41.84 25.34 19.13 63.31 50.89 40.25 19.05 36.22 48.36 24.44 20.76 21.04 23.14 19.19 57.34 58.64 34.08

POSTAL SERVICES: Domestic service

0.69 0.51

0.4

0.74

0.55 0.35 0.55 0.58 0.34 0.57

POSTAL SERVICES: Intra-EU service

0.93 0.77 0.71

1.14

0.7

0.58 0.82 0.72 0.64 0.75

:

:

0.34 0.56 0.46 0.53 0.38 0.19 0.44 0.55 0.49 0.47 0.38 0.27

0.6

0.75 0.63 0.48 0.46

0.51

0.78 0.72 0.75 0.83 0.37 0.77 0.65 0.75 0.68

0.5

0.4

1

0.75 1.26

0.7

1.02

Euro-super 95 + tax

1.71 1.34 1.55

1.8

1.77 1.42 1.65 1.83 1.52 1.59 1.89 1.39 1.49 1.48 1.48 1.54 1.54 1.83 1.55 1.42 1.72 1.35 1.58 1.58 1.75 1.85

1.74

Diesel + tax

Heating oil + tax

LPG + tax

1.5

1.33 1.52 1.54 1.57

1.41 1.56

1.6

1.44

1.4

1.78

1.4

1.41 1.38 1.32 1.55 1.36 1.48 1.47 1.39

1.5

1.37 1.44 1.47 1.59 1.76

1.8

0.94

1

1.02 1.56 0.96 1.07 1.15

1.47

1.01 0.99

1.5

1.06 1.03 0.91 0.86 1.55 1.02 0.87 1.04 0.99 1.33 1.27 1.08

0

1.19

1.49

0.91

0.76 0.63 0.69

0

0.76 0.78

:

:

0.79 0.87 0.82

:

0.64 0.69 0.68 0.89

0

0.78

:

0.66 0.78 0.67 0.83 0.73

:

:

:

Euro-super 95 no tax

0.8

0.75 0.77 0.86 0.83 0.76 0.73

0.8

0.79 0.75 0.83 0.82 0.79 0.79 0.83 0.78 0.84

0.8

0.76

0.75 0.82 0.74

0.78

0.75

0.8

0.81 0.72

Diesel no tax

Heating oil no tax

LPG no tax

0.82 0.78 0.82 0.84 0.85 0.78 0.77 0.87 0.82 0.76 0.85 0.86 0.81 0.84 0.82 0.82 0.77 0.81 0.78 0.78 0.85

0.8

0.79 0.82 0.83 0.86 0.77

0.76 0.81 0.75

0.9

0.74

0.78

0.9

0.77 0.75 0.77 0.83 0.77 0.83 0.73 0.75 0.82 0.72 0.47

0.75

0.75 0.79 0.72

0.74

0

0.81 0.73 0.73

0.63 0.43 0.49

0

0.55 0.58

:

:

0.62 0.66 0.53

:

0.4

0.4

0.58 0.61

0

0.56

:

0.42 0.57 0.48 0.61 0.42

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

72

ANNEX II (cid:8) NATIONAL RANKINGS OF MARKETS

Belgium 

Overall, Belgian consumers are slightly more positive in their assessment of market 
performance than the EU27 average, and the country’s overall score has risen from 
17th place in 2011 to 11th place this year, bringing Belgium back into line with its 
2010 position of 10th.

For the goods market, the ranking of the bottom three markets has shifted slightly 
but the markets that were lowest in 2011 are still at the bottom in 2012. The rank-
ing in 2012 is similar to the ranking of EU27. Some clear shifts in the top 3 of 2012 
can be distinguished. The market for new cars has entered the top 3, while in 2011 
it was ranked at 18. This market is performing particularly well in Belgium this year 
with  an  increase  of  4.5  points  in  the  nMPI  score  compared  to  2011  and  a  ranking 
of 12 places higher than in the EU27 ranking. At the beginning of 2012 car dealers 
reacted  with  special  offers  to  measures  taken  by  the  Belgian  federal  government 
cutting  incentives  on  green  cars  and  reforming  the  company  cars  regulations.  This 
could be a possible explanation for the rise in the nMPI score in this market. 

The  ranking  of  the  service  markets  stayed  more  or  less  close  to  their  position  in 
2011. Only a few differences with 2011 can be noted. The markets for loans, cred-
it  and  credit  cards  and  bank  accounts  have  decreased  with  respectively  3.1  and 
3.6 points in the nMPI score. The market for TV subscriptions, however, has increased 
by  4.9  points.  The  markets  for  electricity  and  gas  have  entered  the  bottom  3.  The 
standstill  on  energy  prices  until  December  2012  decided  by  the  government  at  the 
beginning of the year and the trial of strength that followed with the Belgian mar-
ket’s largest operators could have had an influence on this result.

In  comparison  with  the  EU27  results,  the  assessment  of  the  markets  for  gas  serv-
ices  and  postal  services  is  more  negative.  These  markets  rank  13  and  11  places 
lower respectively. The assessment of the market for mortgages is above the EU27 
average.  The  banking  crisis  did  not  hit  the  Belgian  market  as  fiercely  as  other  EU 
countries and it is still relatively easy for Belgian consumers to get a mortgage. This 
could  explain  the  difference  in  this  particular  market.  Furthermore,  the  market  for 
maintenance  services  also  ranks  higher  in  Belgium  than  in  the  EU27  ranking.  The 
specific  system  developed  in  Belgium,  with  subsidised  jobs  in  this  sector  allowing 
Belgian families to hire maintenance services at a low price, could be one reason for 
the high performance of this market in Belgium.

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Non-alcoholic drinks
New cars
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Entertainment goods
Spectacles and lenses
Dairy products
Small household appliances
Large household appliances
Alcoholic drinks
Electronic products
Maintenance products
Fuel for vehicles
Non prescription medicines
Furniture and furnishings
Personal care products
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Packaged holidays & tours
Commercial sport services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Airline services
Home insurance
Vehicle insurance
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Gambling and lottery services
Mortgages
Maintenance services
Water supply
Private life insurance
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services
Tram, local bus, metro
Postal services
Loans, credit and credit cards
TV-subscriptions
Bank accounts
Real estate services
Train services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Internet provision
Gas services
Electricity services
Mobile telephone services

Belgium – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
BE
EU27

104.6
103.3
102.5
102.2
102.1
102.0
102.0
101.8
101.2
100.9
100.0
  99.6
  99.1
  99.0
  98.9
  98.9
  98.8
97.2
  96.7
  96.3
  92.9

108.6
107.4
105.7
105.1
105.0
104.3
104.0
103.8
103.7
103.2
102.4
102.4
100.1
100.0
  99.8
  99.7
  99.3
  98.9
  98.8
  98.8
  98.5
  96.0
  96.0
  95.8
  95.6
  94.9
  94.4
  93.4
  92.8
  91.5

0.5
-0.2
4.5
0.3
-0.2
0.0
-0.5
0.6
1.0
0.1
0.7
0.4
-2.2
-2.1
0.8
-1.4
-0.4
-1.1
-0.3
-0.9
0.5

0.4
-0.6
0.4
0.4
-0.5
-1.2
1.4
-1.2
-0.1
-1.0
1.2
-0.9
0.1
0.9
0.6
-0.8
2.3
1.9
-1.6
-0.9
-3.1
4.9
-3.6
1.8
0.4
-0.7
1.3
-1.9
-0.6
0.7

-3.5
-2.5
-2.3
-4.4
-0.6

-1.8
-2.5
-4.8
-3.2
-2.3
-4.1
-2.1
-3.1
-2.4
-3.1
-4.1
-0.7
-3.6
-0.4

1.8
3.3
2.7
4.7
3.6
3.7
2.9
5.0
3.0
3.2
1.3
1.4

4.1
-0.4

2.9
1.9
1.0

2.3
3.0
-0.5
6.2
2.2
1.9
-2.5
0.0

0.0
0.0
3.2
-0.7
0.6
-0.4
0.4
0.1
-0.5
-0.8
-1.1
-0.3
3.7
-1.3
-1.6
-2.2
0.5
-0.2
-2.2
0.8
2.0

0.7
0.8
0.7
2.0
-0.5
1.6
-0.5
2.3
0.8
1.3
4.0
0.8
6.0
2.9
1.3
2.1
0.8
-1.3
-1.5
-3.6
0.1
-1.7
-2.6
1.8
-2.7
2.0
-3.0
-6.0
-2.4
-6.2

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Bulgaria 

Market performance in Bulgaria is evaluated as the poorest of all EU countries. The 
market performance evaluation, however, largely corroborates last years’ results.

The ranking of the goods market in 2012 remained similar to 2011. In comparison 
to the EU27 level, two fast-moving goods markets stand out. The markets for bread, 
cereals,  rice  and  pasta  and  for  dairy  products  performed  least  well  in  comparison 
to the EU27 results.

In  the  ranking  for  service  markets,  one  market  stands  out  in  comparison  to  last 
year.  TV  subscriptions  have  increased  by  13  places.  The  nMPI  has  also  increased 
by 5.9 points. An increase in variety and attractive offers could be the cause of the 
improved evaluation in this market. Conversely, the market for culture and entertain-
ment services performs worse than in 2011, with a decrease of 3.7 points.

Two markets (TV subscriptions and internet provision) show a difference of 14 places 
compared  to  EU27  and  are  assessed  more  positively  in  Bulgaria,  with  nMPI  scores 
that  are  higher  than  EU27  by  5.6  and  5.3  points  respectively.  The  markets  for  air-
line and postal services also have a higher nMPI than EU27, respectively by 5.1 and 
6.2  points.  Four  markets  are  assessed  more  negatively  in  Bulgaria  than  in  EU27: 
water supply (nMPI difference of 5.6 points), mobile telephone services (nMPI differ-
ence of 5.9 points), mortgages (nMPI difference of 6.7 points) and electricity services 
(nMPI difference of 9.4 points). 

Bulgaria – nMPI

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Non-alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Furniture and furnishings
Electronic products
Entertainment goods
Personal care products
Small household appliances
Non prescription medicines
Maintenance products
Alcoholic drinks
New cars
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
ICT products
Fruit and vegetables
Dairy products
Clothing and footwear
Meat and meat products
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Personal care services
Airline services
Postal services
Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Home insurance
TV-subscriptions
Vehicle rental services
Packaged holidays & tours
Internet provision
Vehicle insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Bank accounts
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services
Private life insurance
Gambling and lottery services
Gas services
Maintenance services
Tram, local bus, metro
Loans, credit and credit cards
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Train services
Water supply
Mobile telephone services
Real estate services
Mortgages
Electricity services

73

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
BG
EU27

108.8
104.4
103.3
103.1
103.0
102.8
102.8
102.6
102.1
101.9
101.2
101.0
100.5
100.3
100.1
  96.6
  95.5
  93.5
  93.4
  92.0
  91.2

109.7
109.6
108.6
107.0
106.9
105.5
103.6
103.3
102.8
102.7
102.6
102.5
102.1
101.7
100.9
100.8
100.7
  99.7
  99.3
  98.9
  98.4
  98.1
  96.2
  94.9
  94.3
  92.8
  91.8
  91.3
87.4
  85.8

0.2
-1.5
0.5
-0.7
0.8
1.3
1.1
0.1
1.3
-1.3
-0.1
0.4
2.0
1.4
-1.9
1.6
-1.3
-2.0
-0.2
-0.1
-1.4

-1.7
-1.8
0.4
-3.7
-0.7
0.7
1.6
5.9
-0.7
-1.6
2.6
0.1
-0.8
-0.4
0.5
2.0
-0.8
1.3
-2.1
-1.2
0.0
2.0
0.6
2.6
-2.3
-1.6
-0.4
-0.7
-0.5
0.7

-2.6

-2.8
1.6
0.0
-2.7
5.0
-2.0
0.5
-0.4
3.4
-0.5
-1.9
-3.3
-0.1
-2.9

3.2
-1.1
3.0
-7.3

-0.3
2.8
0.1
4.5
2.9
1.7
-1.3

3.3
3.5
-0.9
0.9
1.1
-0.1

-2.4

-0.4
-1.9
4.1
0.1

3.5
2.4
2.9
0.2
-10.5
2.6

-2.5

4.2
2.0
0.1
1.4
2.5
1.7
1.3
1.5
0.4
1.6
1.3
-0.7
1.2
-2.6
1.1
-1.7
-6.1
-2.0
-4.0
1.1
-4.3

1.8
5.1
6.2
0.4
1.4
0.4
2.2
5.6
0.9
-0.5
5.3
-0.4
-0.7
3.1
2.4
0.6
3.0
-1.9
0.0
1.8
-1.9
-0.4
-2.2
2.0
-4.0
-5.6
-5.9
-2.7
-6.7
-9.4

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:17 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:17 Uhr

 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

74

Czech Republic

The  overall  assessment  of  market  performance  in  the  Czech  Republic  is  below  the 
EU27 average and has declined sharply in the past 2 years, from being the second 
highest in 2010, to 12th in 2011 and 22nd in 2012.

The top 3 and bottom 3 ranked goods and services markets in the Czech Republic 
are  very  similar  to  the  EU27  average,  with  the  notable  exception  of  gambling  and 
lottery services, which were rated 28th in the Czech Republic but 11th at the EU27 
level. However, the rating of gambling and lottery services in the Czech Republic has 
increased by 3.1 points in the past year, as the main lottery service provider, Sazka, 
gradually  recovers  from  the  financial  difficulties  that  caused  it  to  have  such  a  low 
score in 2011.

S
D
O
O
G

In terms of goods, there have been few changes since 2011. The biggest improvement 
has  been  for  the  non-alcoholic  drinks  sector,  which  increased  its  score  by  3.0,  mov-
ing up 5 places in the ranking. The rating for meat and meat products has fallen by 
3.5 points since 2011, perhaps as a result of rising meat prices in the Czech Republic.

Among  service  markets,  the  rating  of  TV  subscriptions  in  the  Czech  Republic  in-
creased by 3.6 and rose by 9 places to 14th position, compared to 22nd an average 
at  the  EU27  level.  Another  service  market  which  is  performing  well  in  the  Czech 
Republic is Internet provision, with a ranking 10 places higher than EU27.

Books, magazines and newspapers
Non-alcoholic drinks
Spectacles and lenses
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Small household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Furniture and furnishings
Personal care products
Entertainment goods
Alcoholic drinks
Maintenance products
ICT products
Dairy products
Non prescription medicines
New cars
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Fuel for vehicles
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Culture and entertainment
Personal care services
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Airline services
Vehicle insurance
Packaged holidays & tours
Tram, local bus, metro
Vehicle rental services
Postal services
Home insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Train services
TV-subscriptions
Internet provision
Water supply
Bank accounts
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services
Gas services
Private life insurance
Maintenance services
Mobile telephone services
Electricity services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Gambling and lottery services
Mortgages
Real estate services

Czech Republic – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
CZ
EU27

107.3
105.4
105.2
104.2
103.7
103.2
103.1
102.7
102.2
102.1
101.9
100.7
100.2
  99.5
  99.2
  98.6
  96.3
  94.0
  93.1
  91.5
  86.0

109.4
109.2
108.2
106.3
105.6
103.4
103.3
103.1
102.7
101.6
101.3
101.0
100.3
  99.8
  99.7
  99.5
  99.1
  99.0
97.5
97.3
97.0
  96.2
  96.2
  96.0
  95.9
  95.8
  95.7
  94.9
  94.2
  90.6

1.0
3.0
0.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
1.0
-1.0
0.0
-1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-4.0
-1.0
0.0
0.0

0.0
-1.0
-1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
-3.0
2.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
2.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
2.0
-2.0
-2.0
-2.0
-2.0
-2.0
0.0
-2.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
3.0
1.0
2.0

-2.0
-3.0

2.0
1.0
1.0
-3.0
1.0
-2.0
2.0
-2.0
2.0
-1.0

-1.0
0.0
-3.0
-1.0
-3.0
-2.0
-4.0

4.0
1.0
4.0
2.0
1.0
1.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
1.0
1.0
4.0
2.0

0.0
1.0
1.0
0.0

3.0
2.0

2.0
0.0
1.0

1.0
-5.0

1.0

2.8
2.2
2.8
2.5
2.5
1.5
0.2
2.2
1.2
0.6
0.2
0.8
1.2
-2.1
-1.1
-0.7
-2.0
-3.4
-2.4
-4.0
-4.9

2.9
1.3
2.7
1.3
1.1
0.5
0.1
2.8
0.7
-0.8
-0.1
-1.7
2.0
2.1
2.3
1.1
0.6
0.6
-1.0
-2.9
-2.3
-1.4
-0.9
-1.7
0.7
-2.7
2.9
-6.7
0.1
-3.4

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130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 74

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:18 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:18 Uhr

 
 
 
Denmark

Overall, the performance of the different markets in Denmark is evaluated as rather 
good with an overall score of 100.1. Denmark’s assessment is ranked just above the 
EU27 mean for 2012.

As  regards  the  goods  markets,  the  top  performers  are  dairy  products,  alcoholic 
drinks and books, magazines and newspapers. None of these markets deviates very 
far from EU27 and from 2011 rankings. A more extreme goods market in Denmark 
is that of fuel for vehicles. In most European countries this market is evaluated less 
well than in Denmark. The difference in the nMPI score between Denmark and EU27 
is a remarkable 7.5, accompanied by a difference in ranking of 15 places.

S
D
O
O
G

From  the  assessment  of  the  service  markets  it  is  clear  that  Danes  give  a  positive 
evaluation to services that have to do with leisure. The markets for culture and en-
tertainment, commercial sports services and holiday accommodation are at the top 
of the ranking. Here again the difference with EU27 and 2011 rankings is small. For 
the  bottom  service  markets  (TV-subscriptions  and  mobile  telephone  services)  this 
difference  is  more  substantial.  For  TV-subscriptions  there  is  a  4.3  increase  in  the 
nMPI  score  between  2012  and  2011.  However,  this  market  is  assessed  less  well  in 
Denmark than in EU27 with a difference in the nMPI score of −5.9 and a difference 
in  ranking  of  −7.  Mobile  telephone  services  show  a  similar  pattern:  a  positive  nMPI 
evolution of 4.1 and a negative nMPI of −6.3 compared to EU27. Other markets that 
are evaluated more negatively in Denmark than in other countries include bank ac-
count and postal services, which show a difference in ranking compared to EU27 of 
−10 and −11 respectively. Water supply, vehicle maintenance and repair, and mort-
gages are evaluated more positively than in the rest of Europe (difference in ranking 
of 11, 10 and 20).

Vehicle  maintenance  services  and  home  maintenance  services  have  improved  the 
most  since  2011  (difference  in  ranking  of  11  places  and  +3.2  points  in  the  nMPI 
score, respectively). The markets for tram, local bus and metro, and for cafés, bars 
and  restaurants,  as  well  as  legal  and  accountancy  services  have  seen  the  biggest 
deterioration in the nMPI score (−3.5, −3.1 and −3.1 respectively).

Denmark – nMPI

Dairy products
Alcoholic drinks
Books, magazines and newspapers
Non-alcoholic drinks
Fuel for vehicles
Entertainment goods
Small household appliances
Furniture and furnishings
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Large household appliances
Spectacles and lenses
Non prescription medicines
Maintenance products
Personal care products
New cars
Electronic products
Fruit and vegetables
Clothing and footwear
ICT products
Meat and meat products
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Personal care services
Airline services
Packaged holidays & tours
Water supply
Mortgages
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Vehicle insurance
Gas services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Home insurance
Gambling and lottery services
Train services
Maintenance services
Tram, local bus, metro
Loans, credit and credit cards
Postal services
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services
Private life insurance
Electricity services
Real estate services
Bank accounts
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Mobile telephone services

75

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
DK
EU27

104.4
104.0
103.6
102.9
102.8
102.6
102.2
102.2
102.1
101.9
101.1
100.6
100.2
  99.9
  99.0
  98.4
97.6
  95.7
  95.1
  94.2
  89.3

109.4
107.5
106.0
105.7
105.2
104.2
102.6
102.5
101.2
101.2
101.1
101.1
100.7
100.5
  99.6
  99.6
  99.3
  99.0
  98.9
  98.7
  98.7
  98.5
  98.4
  98.1
97.2
  95.4
  93.4
  93.2
  91.8
  91.4

-1.2
-0.2
-2.2
-1.0
-1.3
1.3
0.8
1.5
-0.1
1.6
1.0
-0.3
0.9
0.6
0.9
0.9
-2.1
-2.6
1.6
-0.7
0.7

-0.3
-0.4
0.8
-1.1
-1.2
-0.6
-1.7
-0.4
-1.0
2.7
1.2
-0.5
-3.1
1.3
0.2
-2.0
3.2
-3.5
-0.9
-0.9
-3.1
1.9
0.6
-0.4
0.8
-0.6
-0.2
0.6
4.3
4.1

-1.7
-2.6
-1.7
-2.7
-0.3
-2.3
-3.3
-1.3
-2.6

-0.6
-1.6
0.9
-3.1
-1.7
0.5
-2.3
-3.6
1.9
-4.9

1.8
2.8
0.3
1.9
3.9
4.5
3.0

1.9
-0.2
1.2
2.0
3.2
-0.1
-1.4
-1.8
0.6
0.9

-0.7

1.7

1.9
1.8
3.7
3.9
2.8

1.8

2.8
2.4
-1.0
-0.4
7.4
1.2
0.5
1.6
-0.8
0.2
-1.3
0.3
0.3
-1.1
-0.3
-2.7
-0.7
0.2
-3.9
-3.1
-1.6

2.8
1.9
1.0
-2.2
0.7
1.0
4.2
8.4
-0.7
2.8
-1.8
1.7
-2.1
-1.0
-2.0
1.3
2.2
-1.4
0.5
-3.7
0.2
-1.7
0.8
2.9
3.2
-3.1
0.5
-4.2
-5.9
-6.3

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130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 75

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:19 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:19 Uhr

 
 
 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

76

Germany

The  performance  of  the  various  markets  is  evaluated  as  very  good  in  Germany, 
coming second overall in the European market ranking.

For  goods  markets,  non-alcoholic  drinks,  small  household  appliances  and  books, 
magazines and newspapers are the top performers. Compared to 2011 small house-
hold appliances went up 10 places in the ranking, with a difference of 1.8 in the nMPI 
score. At the other end of the goods spectrum are new cars, second-hand cars and 
fuel for vehicles. For the latter two markets this bottom ranking is perfectly in line 
with  the  European  trend.  For  the  new  cars  market  there  is  only  a  small  movement 
downwards of 4 positions compared to EU27 results. The new car market is consid-
ered to be performing less well than in 2011 with a difference in the nMPI score of 
1.9. Another good market that shows a big discrepancy with 2011 is the clothing and 
footwear market. This market went down 10 places compared with last year.

For  service  markets  the  top  markets  in  Germany  are  personal  care,  commercial 
sports  and  cultural  entertainment.  These  three  markets  also  come  out  on  top  of 
the EU27 ranking. Hence it can be concluded that among the top performers, Ger-
many is in line with EU27. The poorest performing service markets in Germany are 
private  life  insurance,  train  services,  and  investment  products,  private  pensions 
and  securities  services.  Again  these  figures  do  not  deviate  widely  from  the  EU27 
results or from 2011 figures (the biggest difference between the nMPI in EU27 and 
Germany being −4.1). 

There  are  a  few  other  notable  differences:  TV  subscriptions  went  up  13  places  in 
comparison to last year and 16 places in comparison to EU27. Gambling and lottery 
services  also  went  up  13  places  in  comparison  to  2011.  However,  home  insurance 
and gas services went down 11 and 10 places respectively in comparison to EU27. 
Mortgages went down 16 places in comparison to 2011. 

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Non-alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
Books, magazines and newspapers
Large household appliances
Dairy products
Entertainment goods
Spectacles and lenses
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Electronic products
Personal care products
Meat and meat products
Alcoholic drinks
Fruit and vegetables
Furniture and furnishings
Clothing and footwear
Non prescription medicines
Maintenance products
ICT products
New cars
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Personal care services
Commercial sport services
Culture and entertainment
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Airline services
TV-subscriptions
Packaged holidays & tours
Vehicle insurance
Water supply
Holiday accommodation
Gambling and lottery services
Tram, local bus, metro
Postal services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Legal and accountancy services
Maintenance services
Bank accounts
Vehicle rental services
Mobile telephone services
Fixed telephone services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Internet provision
Home insurance
Electricity services
Gas services
Mortgages
Real estate services
Private life insurance
Train services
Investment products, private pensions and securities

Germany – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
DE
EU27

101.9
101.8
101.5
101.3
101.2
101.2
101.1
101.0
101.0
100.9
100.7
100.5
100.2
100.1
100.1
  99.7
  98.9
  98.7
  98.1
  95.2
  94.8

104.4
103.1
103.0
102.5
102.1
102.0
101.8
101.1
101.1
100.9
100.8
100.5
100.5
100.4
100.3
100.0
  99.9
  99.8
  99.7
  99.3
  99.2
  99.2
  99.1
  98.9
  98.8
  98.8
  98.6
  96.3
  94.2
  94.1

-0.7
1.8
1.0
0.7
-1.9
1.7
-0.6
0.4
0.9
-0.2
1.7
-1.9
0.6
0.7
-1.3
0.7
-0.4
1.0
-1.9
-1.0
-1.5

0.7
-0.4
-1.7
0.5
-1.4
2.4
-0.2
-1.2
-1.3
-0.6
2.5
-0.6
0.8
0.8
-0.2
-0.8
0.1
-3.1
1.0
2.0
-0.3
1.6
-0.8
0.4
0.0
-2.8
0.6
-1.4
1.9
1.6

-2.2
-4.6
-7.1
-3.6

-1.5

-2.6
-1.7
-2.7
0.0
-2.0
0.0
-1.5
2.6
-2.3
-1.7
-1.7
-1.7
-0.7
-4.0

-0.6
2.1
-2.2
0.2
1.7

1.9
1.2
2.1
-0.4
0.7
0.5
-1.9

2.5
1.7
1.5
5.1
2.9
0.0
6.9
1.1
0.5
2.6

2.8

0.4
5.1

-1.4
0.1
-3.0
-0.4
-0.4
-0.3
-1.3
-1.9
-0.2
-0.1
3.3
-1.2
1.9
-0.4
4.6
-0.6
-1.0
-0.3
-1.1
4.3
-0.7

-3.5
-2.5
-3.6
-0.3
-2.4
4.3
-1.3
-1.8
2.6
-4.2
-0.8
0.1
-2.0
1.9
1.8
2.9
1.3
-2.2
2.0
-0.9
0.8
1.8
-2.4
3.7
-0.6
4.7
4.6
-1.3
-4.1
1.2

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:20 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:20 Uhr

 
 
Estonia

Overall, the performance of the various markets in Estonia is asseseed as very good. 
Estonia  is  ranked  3rd  in  2012  in  the  EU27  ranking.  This  is  a  better  positionthan  in 
2011, when the country ranked 5th.

The  top  goods  performers  in  Estonia  are  books,  magazines  and  newspapers,  non 
prescription  medicines,  and  spectacles  and  lenses.  Non-prescription  medicines  are 
11  places  higher  in  ranking  compared  to  EU27.  The  bottom  goods  performers  in 
Estonia are fruit and vegetables, second hand cars, and clothing and footwear. For 
the  latter,  the  nMPI  score  is  lower  in  relation  to  2011  by  −4.3.  The  difference  is 
−8.6 compared with the EU27 nMPI score.

S
D
O
O
G

As regards the service markets in Estonia, personal care services, vehicle insurance 
and  postal  services  lead  the  ranking.  The  bottom  performers  here  are  real  estate 
services, vehicle maintenance and repair, and investment products. Vehicle mainte-
nance and repair even shows a difference of −5.9 with the EU27 nMPI score. Other 
service  markets  that  show  results  deviating  from  EU27  are  bank  accounts,  mobile 
telephone  services,  train  services  and  packaged  holidays  and  tours.  They  have  a 
difference in ranking of 12, 13, 10 and −11, respectively.

Estonia – nMPI

Books, magazines and newspapers
Non prescription medicines
Spectacles and lenses
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Dairy products
Personal care products
Non-alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Small household appliances
New cars
Entertainment goods
Furniture and furnishings
ICT products
Maintenance products
Fuel for vehicles
Meat and meat products
Fruit and vegetables
Second hand cars
Clothing and footwear

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Vehicle insurance
Postal services
Bank accounts
Fixed telephone services
Culture and entertainment
Gambling and lottery services
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Mobile telephone services
Train services
Legal and accountancy services
Airline services
Home insurance
Loans, credit and credit cards
Tram, local bus, metro
Packaged holidays & tours
Private life insurance
Vehicle rental services
Gas services
Internet provision
Cafés, bars and restaurants
TV-subscriptions
Water supply
Electricity services
Mortgages
Maintenance services
Real estate services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Investment products, private pensions and securities

77

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
EE
EU27

105.6
105.2
104.1
103.6
103.6
103.5
103.3
102.2
101.8
101.8
101.2
101.1
100.8
100.2
  99.8
  98.4
  96.9
  96.9
  95.8
87.5
  86.9

106.2
105.4
105.0
104.9
104.9
103.9
103.2
103.2
102.5
102.3
102.2
101.7
101.2
100.9
100.9
100.7
100.5
100.4
  99.6
  99.6
  99.1
  98.7
  98.2
  96.0
  94.8
  94.8
  93.2
  92.9
  92.5
  90.9

-0.8
0.9
3.3
-1.5
-0.7
1.3
-0.3
-0.5
0.2
0.0
-0.6
-0.2
0.7
3.0
0.9
0.8
-1.1
-0.6
0.1
-0.5
-4.3

-1.7
-1.1
0.6
0.9
-0.2
-1.2
-0.9
0.6
-0.3
0.6
-3.4
-0.3
-1.2
-0.2
-1.1
-1.0
0.6
1.2
-0.1
0.0
1.1
-1.3
4.8
0.0
1.3
0.2
2.1
0.8
-1.9
0.9

0.8
1.6

0.8

0.0
-0.1
1.0
1.3
1.2
2.2
1.6
2.8
-2.0
0.5
0.6
0.6
1.2
-0.1
1.8
-0.2

1.5
1.1
-1.3
-0.6
-1.0
1.0
0.7
-1.4
0.0
-0.5
-0.7

-0.7
-0.3

-0.1
-0.5

-0.3
-1.8
-0.3
1.9

-0.3
-5.8

-0.1
0.3
0.7
1.1

1.0
4.9
1.7
0.7
1.9
2.4
0.1
0.5
0.0
0.6
-0.5
1.8
-0.7
-0.3
0.8
-1.5
1.4
-0.5
-2.6
-3.4
-8.6

-1.7
2.5
2.5
6.3
4.7
-2.7
1.6
-2.3
-2.5
4.6
3.9
3.2
-3.4
-0.5
2.4
0.4
-2.7
2.7
-2.3
0.2
1.7
-4.0
0.5
-2.4
-0.4
0.7
-3.9
-1.1
-5.9
-2.0

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:21 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:21 Uhr

 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

78

Ireland

The  performance  of  the  various  markets  in  Ireland  is  ranked  just  below  the  EU27 
average and the country is in 19th position overall. The 2012 ranking of goods mar-
kets is mostly stable in comparison with the EU27 and 2011 rankings with no major 
differences worth mentioning.

The  2012  ranking  of  service  markets  remains  close  to  the  2011  ranking.  The  top 
3  service  markets  for  Ireland  are  exactly  the  same  as  the  top  3  for  EU27.  Bank 
accounts  are  in  the  bottom  3  for  Ireland  and  their  market  assessment  is  much 
more  negative  than  in  EU27,  with  a  difference  of  8.1  points.  In  contrast,  electricity 
services are considered more positively in Ireland, with a difference of 12 positions 
in  relation  to  the  EU27  ranking.  The  nMPI  for  TV  subscriptions  has  increased  by 
3.8 points from last year, although this market only moved by 4 rankings. 

S
D
O
O
G

Books, magazines and newspapers
Dairy products
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Non-alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
Spectacles and lenses
Entertainment goods
Alcoholic drinks
Fruit and vegetables
Maintenance products
Electronic products
Personal care products
Large household appliances
Meat and meat products
Furniture and furnishings
Non prescription medicines
Clothing and footwear
New cars
ICT products
Fuel for vehicles
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle insurance
Gambling and lottery services
Postal services
Airline services
Packaged holidays & tours
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Gas services
Train services
Tram, local bus, metro
Home insurance
Electricity services
Vehicle rental services
Fixed telephone services
Maintenance services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Water supply
TV-subscriptions
Loans, credit and credit cards
Legal and accountancy services
Private life insurance
Mobile telephone services
Internet provision
Real estate services
Bank accounts
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages

Ireland – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
IE
EU27

104.7
104.5
104.0
104.0
102.2
102.0
101.5
101.4
101.2
100.5
100.4
100.2
  99.5
  99.5
  98.8
  98.2
97.6
97.4
97.2
  94.6
  90.4

109.0
107.6
107.6
106.7
106.0
105.8
105.5
104.3
104.1
103.7
103.4
102.2
102.1
102.0
101.8
100.1
  98.6
  98.0
  98.0
97.8
97.7
97.3
  95.8
  95.6
  94.9
  93.5
  91.9
  90.5
  89.6
  88.8

-1.4
0.2
0.1
0.5
0.3
-2.3
0.2
1.1
1.5
-0.8
0.6
-1.7
0.0
-0.1
0.7
-2.7
-0.3
1.8
0.4
-1.2
2.9

-2.0
-1.5
1.1
-1.7
1.5
-3.0
-2.8
0.9
-0.2
-2.7
0.6
-0.8
-1.6
-0.2
-1.2
0.0
-1.2
-1.1
0.2
2.0
3.8
2.2
-0.1
0.1
-1.2
2.7
0.1
3.7
3.8
-1.2

3.3

0.6
0.6
-0.5

0.2
-2.6
-2.1
0.7
-2.3
-1.3
-2.4
-1.9
-3.3
0.0
-3.0
-3.8
-4.5
-2.6
-7.6

7.2
6.4
4.6
6.9
4.0
5.1
5.5
4.8
5.0
6.0
2.2
3.2
2.8
3.7
0.8
1.8
0.8
1.0
0.3
-4.9

-1.1
-6.9
-3.2
-7.3
0.9

0.1
2.9
1.1
0.7
0.6
-0.4
0.1
-0.3
2.9
0.6
-0.7
-0.8
-2.2
2.1
-1.7
-2.1
2.1
-1.9
-1.7
-0.9
-0.5

1.1
1.1
2.1
1.7
3.1
4.2
3.1
-0.2
0.9
1.0
4.1
4.0
1.7
0.5
6.6
-1.8
-1.6
1.0
-0.4
-0.6
0.0
-1.2
-2.7
-2.1
-2.9
-3.8
-2.1
-8.1
-3.2
-5.3

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130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 78

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:22 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:22 Uhr

 
 
 
 
 
 
Greece

With  a  score  of  99.8  points,  the  market  performance  of  Greece  is  assessed  at  the 
same  level  as  the  EU27  average.  Greece’s  ranking  has  fluctuated  slightly  over  the 
past 3 years, from 19th in 2010, to 13th in 2011, to its current position of 17th.

The  top  3  goods  sectors  in  Greece  are  spectacles  and  lenses,  books,  magazines 
and  newspapers,  and  non-alcoholic  drinks.  These  sectors  are  also  highly  rated  at 
EU27 level. The bottom 3 goods sectors are fuel for vehicles, second-hand cars, and 
clothing and footwear. These are also the 3 lowest ranked goods at EU27 level, al-
though fuel for vehicles is 7.7 points below the EU27 score, while the assessment for 
second-hand  cars  is  6.2  points  higher  in  Greece  than  at  EU27  level.  Other  marked 
differences  compared  to  EU27  are  ICT  products,  where  Greece’s  assessment  ranks 
11 positions higher, and large household appliances, where Greece ranks 10 places 
below the EU27 average. There has been little change since 2011, the largest differ-
ence being an increase of 3.1 points for clothing and footwear.

The  top  3  service  sectors  in  Greece  –  personal  care,  commercial  sport,  and  airline 
services  –  all  score  highly  at  EU27  level.  There  is  more  differentiation  at  the  other 
end of the spectrum, where the assessment of electricity services has decreased by 
6.5 points since 2011 to its current position of 8.7 points below its EU27 score. The 
assessment of loans, credit and credit cards has decreased by 4.6 points since 2011 
and is now at 8.1 points and 10 positions below the EU27 average. The score for TV 
subscription services increased by 4.7 points and is now ranked 8th in Greece com-
pared to 22nd in EU27. Further differences between Greece and EU27 are observed 
in the market assessments for internet provision (14 places higher in Greece), invest-
ment  products,  private  pensions  and  securities  (5.5  points  higher  in  Greece),  real 
estate services (5.0 points higher in Greece), and home insurance (10 places higher 
in EU27). In comparison to 2011, the score for tram, bus and metro services has in-
creased by 3.8 points. Real estate services and gas services have both increased by 
3.2 points, and home insurance services have decreased by 3.2 points.

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Greece – nMPI

Spectacles and lenses
Books, magazines and newspapers
Non-alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
ICT products
Furniture and furnishings
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Electronic products
Non prescription medicines
Entertainment goods
Maintenance products
Dairy products
Personal care products
Alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
New cars
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Personal care services
Commercial sport services
Airline services
Culture and entertainment
Vehicle rental services
Postal services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
TV-subscriptions
Fixed telephone services
Vehicle insurance
Internet provision
Packaged holidays & tours
Holiday accommodation
Legal and accountancy services
Gas services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Mobile telephone services
Tram, local bus, metro
Gambling and lottery services
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Home insurance
Bank accounts
Maintenance services
Train services
Private life insurance
Water supply
Mortgages
Loans, credit and credit cards
Electricity services

79

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
EL
EU27

104.2
102.6
102.1
102.0
101.5
101.5
101.3
101.1
101.0
100.7
100.7
100.4
100.4
100.3
100.0
  99.6
  99.3
  98.3
  98.2
97.1
87.8

108.8
106.0
105.8
105.1
104.0
103.8
103.7
103.4
102.9
102.2
102.2
102.1
102.0
101.9
101.6
101.4
100.2
  99.2
  99.1
  99.0
  98.4
97.5
  96.9
  96.6
  96.3
  95.6
  95.0
  92.2
  90.4
  86.5

0.6
-1.2
1.4
1.0
0.7
1.1
0.2
-0.7
-1.1
-1.4
-0.4
-0.2
-1.3
0.0
-0.9
1.0
0.3
-2.0
3.1
2.1
-2.5

0.1
0.7
0.6
-1.0
0.1
-0.2
-0.5
4.7
1.3
0.0
1.8
-0.5
0.3
0.3
3.2
-0.1
0.2
3.8
0.7
3.2
2.7
-3.2
0.4
-1.6
0.2
-1.7
-1.9
-2.7
-4.6
-6.5

-3.9
-3.8
-3.8
-3.3
-1.6
-4.7
-1.7
-4.9
1.9
2.0

-1.1
-3.1
-2.8
-4.7
-3.9
-2.4
-3.8
-1.7
-5.1

-0.5
4.2
-0.3
1.4
2.7
1.1
3.8

-0.1
0.9
4.2
6.1
3.6

-1.5
3.3
1.5
-3.5
1.4
6.8
6.4
2.6
5.1
5.6
-2.2

-1.5

-2.6

1.8
-1.9
-1.1
0.4
2.5
0.9
-1.6
0.0
0.7
-0.8
0.8
-1.2
-0.7
-1.4
-1.8
1.3
1.9
-1.0
2.7
6.2
-7.7

0.9
0.5
1.2
-1.4
2.0
1.3
0.9
5.7
2.7
-0.7
4.9
-1.0
-3.1
3.4
2.3
3.0
2.5
-1.2
-2.6
5.0
5.5
-4.0
-1.6
-0.5
-2.0
-2.0
-3.4
-1.8
-8.1
-8.7

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130531_EN_Scoreboard_8th_lc.indd 79

# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:23 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:23 Uhr

 
 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

80

Spain

Spain’s  overall  assessment  of  market  performance  is  below  that  of  the  EU27
level. It has been ranked in 25th place for the last 2 years, although it was ranked
16th in 2010.

The top 3 goods sectors – non-alcoholic drinks, books, magazines and newspapers, 
and  bread,  cereals,  rice  and  pasta  –  are  also  the  top  3  at  EU27  level.  Fuel  for  ve-
hicles,  second-hand  cars,  and  ICT  products  are  the  bottom  3  sectors  in  Spain,  and 
their  assessment  also  ranks  at  a  low  level  for  EU27.  The  rankings  reflect  those  of 
EU27, with the biggest difference being meat and meat products, which are ranked 
6th in Spain but 18th for EU27. There has been relatively little change since 2011.

S
D
O
O
G

The  highest  rated  service  sectors  in  Spain  broadly  reflect  the  EU27  average,  with 
the  exception  of  gambling  and  lottery  services,  ranked  1st  in  Spain  and  11th  in 
EU27.  The  lowest  rated  services  in  Spain  are  mortgages  (8.5  points  below  the 
EU27 score), mobile telephone services (9.9 points below EU27), electricity services 
(5.8 points below EU27), and bank accounts (8.8 points and 11 places below EU27).
Other  service  markets  that  are  assessed  more  negatively  than  the  EU27  average 
include  loans,  credit  and  credit  cards  (by  5.8  points),  airline  services  (by  5.1  points 
and  11  places)  and  internet  provision  (by  5.0  points).  However,  a  number  of  serv-
ice  markets  are  rated  more  highly  in  Spain  than  in  the  EU27:  train  services  (by 
5.6 points and 10 places), cafés, bars and restaurants (by 5.3 points), and tram, lo-
cal bus, metro services (by 5.1 points). Compared to 2011, TV subscription services 
in Spain have improved by 5.0 points, partly as a result of an increase in special of-
fers. The score for electricity services has also increased by 4.2 points. On the other 
hand,  the  scores  for  maintenance  services,  investment  products,  private  pensions 
and  securities,  and  bank  accounts  have  decreased  by  5.4  points,  4.5  points  and 
4.0 points respectively since 2011.

Non-alcoholic drinks
Books, magazines and newspapers
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Spectacles and lenses
Dairy products
Meat and meat products
Personal care products
Maintenance products
Small household appliances
Fruit and vegetables
Alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Furniture and furnishings
New cars
Electronic products
Non prescription medicines
Entertainment goods
Clothing and footwear
ICT products
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Gambling and lottery services
Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Commercial sport services
Packaged holidays & tours
Tram, local bus, metro
Postal services
Vehicle insurance
Train services
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Home insurance
Gas services
Airline services
Private life insurance
Water supply
Maintenance services
TV-subscriptions
Legal and accountancy services
Fixed telephone services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Internet provision
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Bank accounts
Electricity services
Mobile telephone services
Mortgages

Spain – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

105.0
104.5
104.3
103.5
103.4
101.5
101.5
101.2
101.2
100.9
100.5
100.3
100.0
  99.1
  99.0
  98.8
  98.4
  96.9
  94.5
  94.2
  91.2

111.7
111.4
110.2
109.4
108.0
107.5
106.6
105.5
105.3
104.8
103.9
103.8
103.1
102.3
100.3
  99.4
  98.6
  98.2
  98.1
97.7
97.1
  96.7
  92.7
  92.4
  92.0
  91.1
  89.8
  89.4
87.8
  85.6

0.7
-1.2
0.0
-2.0
-0.8
0.7
-0.2
0.4
-0.6
1.0
0.7
0.4
0.9
2.8
-0.2
-1.0
-2.3
-0.2
-1.5
2.6
-0.3

0.1
-0.3
-0.2
-0.1
-1.2
-2.2
2.3
-0.1
-0.3
0.3
-1.3
-1.5
2.7
1.8
0.2
-1.2
0.2
-1.1
-5.4
5.0
0.4
0.3
-1.6
2.7
0.3
-4.5
-4.0
4.2
2.0
2.4

diﬀ
2011
2010

0.2
0.6
-2.4

-3.9
-2.3
1.0
-0.6
-5.0
-4.5
-1.9
-2.7
-3.9
-3.4
-2.4
-0.7
-4.2
-4.7
-8.2
-8.3

8.9
7.8
7.7
7.3
8.0
6.6
3.0
4.2
3.4
5.0
4.0
4.3
3.8
5.1
2.6
2.9

-1.5
6.6

1.1

-3.7
-2.2
3.6
1.3
-8.4
-5.5

diﬀ
ES
EU27

1.8
-0.1
1.4
1.1
1.8
4.1
0.4
1.3
-0.5
2.6
-1.1
-1.4
-0.5
-0.2
-2.1
-1.5
-3.0
1.4
-4.5
3.3
-4.2

10.1
3.5
3.6
4.4
5.3
2.0
3.4
5.1
2.8
1.9
5.6
1.8
4.7
0.8
0.9
-5.1
1.0
-0.3
1.0
0.0
-1.4
-3.5
-5.8
-5.0
-2.0
-1.7
-8.8
-5.8
-9.9
-8.5

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:24 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:24 Uhr

 
 
 
France

Market  performance  in  France  is  assessed  just  slightly  more  favourably  than  the 
EU27 average and the country is in 7th position overall. 

To some extent the top and bottom goods markets for France match the EU27 rank-
ing, although the market for clothing and footwear appears in the top 3 for France 
but the bottom 3 for EU27, with a difference of 7.6 points. The market performance 
of books, magazines and newspapers is assessed as lower than in the EU27 ranking, 
with a difference of 11 places. Spectacles and lenses rank higher than in 2011, but 
the difference in the nMPI remains limited. 

S
D
O
O
G

The top 3 service markets are close to EU27, while the bottom 3 markets are com-
pletely different, with gas, mobile telephone and TV subscription services scoring the 
lowest.  There  is  a  wide  discrepancy  between  the  ranking  of  services  and  the  EU27 
ranking,  although  the  differences  in  the  nMPI  mostly  remain  small.  Train  services 
moved up by 21 places in relation to 2011 following an increase of 5.9 points, and 
their  market  assessment  is  now  above  the  EU27  average.  This  could  be  linked  to 
a  recovery  following  major  strikes  in  early  2011.  Maintenance  services  went  up  by 
15 positions from 2011 with a 6.3 point increase and are now assessed well above 
the EU27 average. Postal services went down the ranking by 18 positions from last 
year and are now rated at below the EU27 average. This could be linked to strikes 
in early 2012. Tram, local bus and metro went down by 12 positions from 2011 and 
are now 10 ranks below the EU27 average.

France – nMPI

Non-alcoholic drinks
Clothing and footwear
Dairy products
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Spectacles and lenses
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Small household appliances
Alcoholic drinks
Entertainment goods
ICT products
Books, magazines and newspapers
Meat and meat products
Furniture and furnishings
Maintenance products
Fruit and vegetables
New cars
Personal care products
Second hand cars
Non prescription medicines
Fuel for vehicles

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Airline services
Holiday accommodation
Packaged holidays & tours
Gambling and lottery services
Maintenance services
Personal care services
Train services
Vehicle insurance
Home insurance
Vehicle rental services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Water supply
Internet provision
Fixed telephone services
Legal and accountancy services
Private life insurance
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Electricity services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Tram, local bus, metro
Real estate services
Bank accounts
Mortgages
Postal services
Gas services
TV-subscriptions
Mobile telephone services

81

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
FR
EU27

103.4
103.1
102.5
102.0
101.3
101.2
101.1
101.1
100.9
100.8
100.5
100.2
  99.7
  99.4
  99.4
  99.0
  98.7
  98.5
  96.3
  96.2
  94.7

105.4
104.6
104.5
103.9
103.9
103.7
103.4
102.0
102.0
100.9
100.8
100.0
100.0
  99.3
  99.3
  99.1
  98.8
  98.7
  98.6
  98.6
  98.5
  98.2
  98.1
  98.0
97.9
97.0
97.0
  96.7
  95.6
  95.6

0.5
2.1
-0.1
0.7
2.0
1.2
0.9
0.8
0.0
-0.1
1.2
-2.1
0.2
-1.6
1.7
-0.9
-1.3
-1.0
0.9
-1.3
-3.7

3.0
0.8
1.7
2.7
0.2
2.3
4.7
-1.0
5.9
0.0
1.8
-0.8
-1.2
-0.7
0.5
-0.1
-2.9
1.0
0.1
-0.6
-2.8
0.2
-3.0
-0.2
0.6
-3.0
-3.6
-2.6
-1.6
-1.4

-1.3
-0.8

-4.0

-2.1
-3.7
-3.6
-4.0
-1.7
-1.5
-5.3
-1.9
-1.8
-2.4
-1.5
-1.6
-3.5
0.8
-2.2
-4.3

-3.3
-0.7
1.5
-2.6
1.7
1.2
0.7
-2.4
1.5
0.5
-1.0
-0.7
0.6
2.6
6.9
3.2

1.1
2.2

8.3
1.0
8.8
5.1

0.8
1.7

5.0

0.2
7.6
0.9
-0.9
-1.1
-0.5
0.0
-0.6
-0.8
-0.7
1.5
-4.4
2.3
-1.1
-0.6
0.7
-0.6
-2.6
5.3
-4.1
-0.8

-1.1
-0.9
0.0
-1.1
0.7
2.1
6.3
-5.9
3.7
-2.0
-0.7
-1.9
-2.8
0.8
1.9
-1.1
0.3
1.1
0.2
3.3
0.1
5.4
-2.3
4.0
-0.7
2.9
-5.5
-2.6
-2.1
-2.1

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:25 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:25 Uhr

 
 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

82

Italy

Italy’s market performance is rated below the EU27 average overall and appears in 
23rd position in the country ranking. 

Italy’s 2012 ranking of the goods market is fairly similar to the 2011 and EU27 rank-
ings with no major changes to mention.

The 2012 ranking of service markets is fairly similar to the 2011 ranking, although 
the  market  assessment  for  home  insurance  is  more  negative  with  a  decrease  of 
3.2 points. The differences with the EU27 ranking are more significant. Maintenance 
services  and  vehicle  maintenance  and  repair  services  are  assessed  better  than  the 
EU27  average  by  13  and  10  ranks  respectively.  Bank  accounts  are  rated  less  fa-
vourably  than  the  EU  average  with  a  difference  of  6.3  points.  This  could  be  linked 
to the introduction of new regulations regarding bank accounts. Postal services are 
5.2 points below the EU average. This is the market that has moved down the most 
in the ranking from 2011.

Italy – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
IT
EU27

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Electronic products
Small household appliances
Entertainment goods
Non-alcoholic drinks
Personal care products
Large household appliances
Dairy products
Furniture and furnishings
Alcoholic drinks
ICT products
Maintenance products
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Non prescription medicines
New cars
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Holiday accommodation
Airline services
Vehicle rental services
Packaged holidays & tours
Gambling and lottery services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Loans, credit and credit cards
Home insurance
Maintenance services
Vehicle insurance
Legal and accountancy services
Gas services
Fixed telephone services
Mobile telephone services
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Private life insurance
Tram, local bus, metro
Water supply
Postal services
Electricity services
Mortgages
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Real estate services
Bank accounts
Train services

105.8
103.2
103.1
102.6
102.5
102.1
101.6
101.5
101.4
100.9
100.6
100.5
100.4
100.3
  99.7
  99.6
  99.5
  99.2
  95.9
  90.5
  89.0

111.9
109.6
109.3
107.8
107.5
106.9
105.2
104.4
102.6
101.7
100.7
  99.1
  98.8
  98.8
  98.7
  98.6
  98.2
  98.1
  98.0
97.9
97.8
97.4
97.3
97.2
97.1
  94.1
  93.7
  93.5
  92.2
  85.9

1.6
-2.1
0.2
0.6
0.4
-0.8
0.6
-0.2
-0.3
0.4
1.1
1.5
0.2
-0.1
0.4
0.5
-1.6
0.1
0.6
-1.6
-1.6

1.5
1.5
1.2
1.7
0.7
1.5
0.2
-0.1
0.3
-0.4
0.0
-3.2
-0.8
-0.9
0.7
-1.2
0.3
2.0
0.5
2.6
0.7
-0.3
0.8
-1.9
0.5
-0.9
-0.3
-0.2
-2.3
-4.5

-5.7

-2.6
-1.7
-2.3
-0.9
-4.7
-3.0
-1.9

-2.1
-5.2
-3.3
-1.4
-3.1
-4.0
-4.8
-2.4
-3.9
-2.4
-2.8

1.1
2.5
2.4
4.2
2.8
5.1
2.8
2.1
1.1
1.1

1.2
4.6
-0.5

3.7
6.0
0.9
4.9

0.3
-1.6
0.2
0.2

6.3
5.3
3.5
2.5

1.2
0.8
0.2
1.5
0.9
0.6
-1.7
0.5
-0.3
-0.7
0.1
-1.2
1.4
0.4
1.4
2.3
-0.8
-0.1
0.4
-0.5
-6.5

4.0
3.0
3.8
5.0
2.4
2.4
3.3
1.2
1.0
3.3
2.2
-2.4
1.7
-4.1
0.2
-0.7
-2.1
0.4
0.7
0.2
0.1
-3.0
-1.2
-5.2
1.9
0.0
0.8
-0.4
-6.3
-12.4

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:26 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:26 Uhr

 
 
 
 
 
 
Cyprus

In  Cyprus,  overall  market  performance  is  evaluated  at  the  same  level  as  the  EU27 
average, which demonstrates a marked improvement in relation to its overall coun-
try ranking of 25th in 2010. 

The  top  3  and  bottom  3  ranked  goods  and  services  are  compatible  with  the  EU27 
average,  although  a  notable  exception  is  books,  magazines  and  newspapers  cat-
egory, which ranked 1st in Cyprus in 2011 and 1st at EU27 level this year, although 
it ranked 11th in Cyprus this year.

Amongs the goods markets, ICT products and clothing and footwear have seen the 
most positive change since 2011, both rising by 11 places in Cyprus. They are now
10  and  12  places  respectively  above  their  EU27  average  ranking.  Conversely,  non-
prescription medicines have dropped 10 places, and fuel for vehicles has dropped by 
5.9 points to 88.6 in comparison to last year.

The biggest improvement in the service market is vehicle rental, whose assessment 
has increased by 10.0 points and 15 places since 2011. The assessment of tram, bus 
and metro services has increased by 7.1 points and 14 places, while the rating of TV 
subscription services has risen by 5.9 points and 8 places since 2011. As a result of 
shortages  in  electricity  supply,  the  assessment  of  electricity  services  is  particularly 
poor this year, 9.8 points below its 2011 rating and 13.2 below the EU27 average.

The  improved  scores  for  ICT  products  and  TV  subscription  services  may  be  indica-
tive of reduced prices in these sectors in recent months, as firms respond to limited 
consumer income.

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Non-alcoholic drinks
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Spectacles and lenses
Dairy products
Electronic products
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Large household appliances
Small household appliances
Meat and meat products
Books, magazines and newspapers
New cars
Furniture and furnishings
Alcoholic drinks
Fruit and vegetables
Personal care products
Entertainment goods
Non prescription medicines
Maintenance products
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Personal care services
Airline services
Culture and entertainment
Postal services
Packaged holidays & tours
Tram, local bus, metro
Vehicle insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle rental services
Home insurance
Gambling and lottery services
Fixed telephone services
Mobile telephone services
Internet provision
Bank accounts
Vehicle maintenance and repair
TV-subscriptions
Loans, credit and credit cards
Maintenance services
Real estate services
Private life insurance
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Legal and accountancy services
Water supply
Mortgages
Electricity services

Cyprus – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

103.6
103.6
102.7
102.3
101.7
101.6
101.5
101.4
101.0
100.8
100.5
100.3
  99.9
  99.8
  99.8
  99.7
  99.1
  98.9
  98.5
  94.6
  88.6

107.1
107.0
106.9
106.0
105.5
104.8
104.0
103.5
103.0
102.6
102.6
102.0
101.9
101.7
100.3
  98.6
  98.3
  98.3
  98.2
  98.1
97.9
97.0
  96.8
  95.7
  94.3
  94.1
  91.6
  82.0

1.5
1.9
-1.7
0.3
2.6
3.1
5.5
2.4
-0.1
1.1
-5.6
-1.4
-0.7
-2.0
3.9
-0.3
-1.8
-2.7
-0.3
0.0
-5.9

0.6
2.2
-5.4
-0.2
0.8
-1.0
2.0
7.1
-0.2
-1.6
10.0
1.8
-0.8
-0.7
-3.3
-0.5
1.4
-3.2
5.9
-1.3
0.7
2.6
0.2
-1.1
-1.7
-2.8
-1.9
-9.8

83

diﬀ
CY
EU27

0.3
0.7
0.3
0.7
0.5
2.7
6.0
-0.3
-0.6
3.5
-4.0
1.1
-0.7
-1.8
1.5
-1.4
-2.3
-1.4
-1.4
3.7
-6.9

1.5
2.0
-1.0
1.4
-1.1
2.4
0.9
3.2
0.1
-0.1
0.7
0.6
0.3
1.5
2.6
1.2
-0.2
-0.1
0.5
-0.3
0.8
3.0
-0.9
2.9
-4.2
-4.4
-2.5
-13.2

diﬀ
2011
2010

-0.2
-3.5

-4.6
0.9
-4.4
-2.4
0.8
-1.9
0.0
-3.1
-4.2
-0.8
-6.7
-4.2
2.7
-2.9
-0.3
-1.1
-4.0

5.8
1.7
3.9
4.0
1.6
5.5
4.5
6.6
2.2
2.8
-5.8
0.8
4.0
0.2
1.5
2.5
1.3
4.7

2.2
5.5

4.7

1.7

-1.3

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:27 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:27 Uhr

 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

84

Latvia

Latvia’s overall assessment of market performance is almost identical to the EU27 
average and the country ranks 13th overall. 

The  ranking  of  goods  markets  is  fairly  similar  to  last  year’s.  The  most  significant 
change has been in the fuel market, whose score went down by 3.6 points, possibly 
linked  to  a  slowdown  in  this  market.  Differences  with  the  EU27  ranking  are  more 
salient, although differences in the nMPI and ranking remain limited.

Turning  to  the  service  markets,  only  small  differences  in  ranking  and  in  the  nMPI 
results can be noted since last year. Postal services register the largest difference 
in  ranking  and  are  10  ranks  below  their  2011  level,  while  gas  services  are  down 
by 3.5 points.

The  differences  with  the  EU27  ranking  are  greater.  Train  services’  assessment  is 
18  ranks  above  the  EU27  average,  while  mobile  telephone  services  are  11  ranks 
above average and private life insurance 10 ranks above. For mobile telephone serv-
ices,  this  could  be  explained  by  market  growth.  As  for  water  supply,  the  market  is 
12  ranks  below  the  EU  average,  which  could  be  linked  to  limited  competition  and 
rising prices. Gambling and lottery services are 10 ranks below the EU27 average. 

Latvia – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
LV
EU27

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Large household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Non-alcoholic drinks
Electronic products
ICT products
Personal care products
Small household appliances
New cars
Maintenance products
Alcoholic drinks
Furniture and furnishings
Entertainment goods
Dairy products
Non prescription medicines
Fuel for vehicles
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Second hand cars
Clothing and footwear

Vehicle insurance
Personal care services
Train services
Commercial sport services
Fixed telephone services
Culture and entertainment
Home insurance
Airline services
Packaged holidays & tours
Tram, local bus, metro
Bank accounts
Mobile telephone services
Holiday accommodation
Private life insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Postal services
Legal and accountancy services
Vehicle rental services
Gas services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Gambling and lottery services
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Real estate services
Electricity services
Water supply

107.7
105.9
105.0
104.3
103.5
102.8
102.5
101.9
101.3
100.7
100.3
100.3
100.1
  99.8
  99.4
  98.5
  96.0
  95.6
  94.4
  91.0
  89.1

107.1
106.5
105.2
105.1
105.1
104.8
104.1
103.8
103.7
103.6
103.5
103.0
102.7
102.2
101.7
101.2
100.8
100.3
100.0
  99.9
  98.9
  98.4
  95.6
  95.5
  92.6
  92.3
  91.7
  91.0
  90.2
  89.4

-2.0
0.4
1.7
0.9
1.0
1.4
0.8
-0.1
-1.7
1.6
2.0
-0.1
-1.0
-1.0
0.1
-0.8
-3.6
0.1
-1.6
0.4
1.4

0.2
-2.7
1.0
-0.3
-0.4
-0.8
1.4
1.5
-0.5
1.1
0.1
0.1
-1.0
0.9
0.9
-3.3
0.1
-1.2
-3.5
0.7
0.8
0.8
3.4
0.3
2.7
-1.7
-1.0
0.1
1.2
-0.9

-1.0

-0.8
-1.4
0.5
-0.5
0.3
-0.1
0.2
0.5
1.3
0.8
-1.4
0.7

-0.4
-1.5
-2.1
1.1
-0.1
-2.6

2.6
0.5
-2.0
0.6
-1.3
1.6
1.1
0.1
3.4
2.3
2.7
2.4
-0.1

1.4
2.1

3.3
-0.1

0.9
-0.2

-1.6

4.5
-1.5
2.3
-7.2
1.5

3.1
3.5
3.3
1.4
0.3
1.7
3.5
0.9
-0.3
1.4
0.4
-1.4
-0.4
-1.7
-2.2
-1.8
0.6
-2.7
-3.0
0.1
-6.4

4.2
-1.4
7.0
-0.4
4.8
-1.7
2.7
-0.7
0.5
3.3
5.0
5.3
-2.3
4.6
-1.1
-1.2
2.2
-1.6
0.6
1.5
-2.7
1.0
-2.1
2.7
-1.5
-6.1
-5.4
-2.9
-5.0
-9.1

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:28 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:28 Uhr

Lithuania

Lithuania’s  market  performance  is  assessed  just  slightly  less  positively  than  the 
EU27 average and the country is in 18th position overall. 

The  ranking  of  goods  markets  is  fairly  similar  to  last  year’s,  although  electronic 
products  have  performed  better  than  in  2011  with  a  3.4  point  increase.  The  2012 
Lithuanian goods ranking and scores are different from the EU27. In particular, the 
performance  of  the  bottom  5  markets  is  rated  remarkably  lower  than  the  EU27 
average, although this is not reflected in a large difference in ranking.

The  2012  and  2011  service  rankings  are  fairly  similar,  although  the  market  per-
formance  of  cafés,  bars  and  restaurants  is  rated  lower  in  2012  with  a  decrease 
of  3.3  points.  The  Lithuanian  service  market  ranking  is  rather  different  from  EU27, 
although changes in the ranking correspond to to fairly small variations in the MPI. 
The biggest differences can be observed for train services, which are 20 ranks above 
their EU27 position with a difference of 12.5 points, while water supply and vehicle 
maintenance  and  repair  services  are  below  the  EU27  averages  by  8.9  points  and 
9.6  points  respectively.  In  the  case  of  water  supply,  this  could  be  linked  to  limited 
competition in the market and increases in prices.

Lithuania – nMPI

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Electronic products
Large household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Non-alcoholic drinks
Furniture and furnishings
ICT products
Alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
New cars
Entertainment goods
Maintenance products
Non prescription medicines
Personal care products
Dairy products
Fuel for vehicles
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

Train services
Personal care services
Postal services
Vehicle insurance
Commercial sport services
Culture and entertainment
Home insurance
Tram, local bus, metro
Airline services
Packaged holidays & tours
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle rental services
Bank accounts
Gas services
Mobile telephone services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Fixed telephone services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Gambling and lottery services
Internet provision
Private life insurance
Legal and accountancy services
TV-subscriptions
Mortgages
Maintenance services
Real estate services
Electricity services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Water supply
Vehicle maintenance and repair

85

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
LT
EU27

110.5
105.8
104.2
103.7
103.0
102.9
102.7
102.7
102.6
102.4
102.2
102.0
100.4
100.3
100.1
  99.1
97.8
  92.5
  90.0
  89.6
  85.5

110.8
108.9
107.1
106.9
106.4
105.4
103.8
103.1
103.1
102.9
102.6
102.4
102.2
102.0
101.4
100.9
100.4
  99.0
  98.5
  98.1
  98.1
97.1
  96.9
  95.1
  92.7
  92.4
  92.4
  90.6
  89.6
  88.8

1.3
0.5
3.4
0.1
0.1
-0.9
2.8
-0.4
-2.9
0.5
1.6
1.4
-0.1
0.8
-1.7
-2.2
-0.6
-0.4
-3.8
-1.9
2.4

0.0
-0.8
-2.4
-1.7
1.6
-0.4
-0.7
-3.2
1.0
1.5
1.1
-0.7
-0.8
-1.0
-0.3
-3.3
-2.4
0.6
-1.7
-0.3
-1.4
3.2
4.2
3.8
-0.8
1.8
1.8
1.1
1.6
-1.5

-0.6

-1.2
-0.3
-2.1
0.2
1.2
0.5
-0.7
1.9
1.3
2.8
1.4
-0.3
-0.2

-1.4
-3.4
-1.3
-1.4
-2.1

0.0
1.6
4.9
2.8
1.5
0.0
1.6
1.5
-2.9
0.2
-0.8
0.1
-0.3
0.7
5.3
2.4
1.8

3.6
2.0

-2.9
0.1
-0.1
-2.3
0.8
-1.5

6.0
3.4
3.0
1.9
0.2
-0.4
2.2
3.7
0.9
0.7
2.9
0.5
0.5
0.0
-0.9
-2.5
2.4
-5.8
-7.4
-5.9
-5.4

12.5
1.0
4.7
4.0
0.8
-1.2
2.4
2.8
-1.4
-0.2
-2.4
0.5
3.7
2.7
3.7
-1.8
0.2
0.5
-3.1
0.8
0.4
-1.4
-0.8
1.0
-4.3
-1.5
-2.8
-2.2
-8.9
-9.6

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# EN

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31.05.2013 16:28:29 Uhr

 
 
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86

Luxembourg

Of  all  countries  Luxembourg’s  market  performance  is  assessed  as  the  best.  Large 
differences in MPI and ranking are recorded, with 13 markets differing from the EU 
ranking  by  10  ranks  or  more,  and  17  markets  differing  from  the  2011  ranking  by 
10  ranks  or  more.  In  this  respect,  it  is  important  to  note  that  the  sample  size  for 
Luxembourg is smaller than for most other countries and that similar changes were 
recorded from 2010 to 2011.

The  ranking  for  goods  markets  differs  from  the  EU27  ranking,  although  this  only 
corresponds to a major difference in the nMPI for the clothing and footwear market, 
which  is  rated  5.8  points  above  the  EU27  average.  This  market  is  also  assessed 
more favourably than in 2011 with a 7.3 point increase over last year’s result. The 
second-hand  car  market  is  rated  5.5  points  above  the  EU  average,  but  appears  in 
the  same  position  in  the  overall  and  national  rankings.  The  2011  ranking  differs 
widely from the 2012 ranking, although in this case as well, nMPI differences remain 
small.  The  clothing  and  footwear  market  displays  the  largest  difference  with  2011 
among  goods  markets  and  is  7.3  points  above  the  level  of  last  year.  Furthermore 
the market for fruits and vegetables has also improved its assessment remarkably, 
with 5.3 points.

The service market ranking is rather different from the EU27 ranking. However, this 
difference  in  ranking  is  only  linked  to  a  major  difference  in  nMPI  for  the  electricity 
services markets, with a 5 point difference. Differences in ranking also appear when 
the  data  is  compared  with  2011.  Three  markets  present  major  differences  in  both 
the nMPI and ranking: mobile telephone services, which improved by 6.5 points over 
last  year,  home  insurance,  which  is  down  by  5.7  points  and  the  electricity  market, 
which is 4.5 points above its 2011 level.

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Non-alcoholic drinks
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Books, magazines and newspapers
Personal care products
Dairy products
Alcoholic drinks
Fruit and vegetables
Clothing and footwear
Small household appliances
Meat and meat products
Non prescription medicines
Large household appliances
Entertainment goods
Fuel for vehicles
Furniture and furnishings
Spectacles and lenses
New cars
Maintenance products
Electronic products
ICT products
Second hand cars

Culture and entertainment
Personal care services
Water supply
Gambling and lottery services
Commercial sport services
Bank accounts
Legal and accountancy services
Airline services
Fixed telephone services
Mobile telephone services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Tram, local bus, metro
Packaged holidays & tours
Loans, credit and credit cards
Electricity services
Holiday accommodation
Gas services
Vehicle insurance
Postal services
TV-subscriptions
Mortgages
Vehicle rental services
Train services
Home insurance
Internet provision
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Private life insurance
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Real estate services

Luxembourg – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
LU
EU27

101.9
101.9
101.8
101.7
101.6
101.5
101.5
101.3
100.7
100.5
100.3
100.2
  99.8
  99.3
  99.0
  98.9
  98.4
  98.2
  98.2
  96.9
  96.4

103.7
102.5
102.2
102.1
101.5
101.5
101.4
101.2
100.8
100.7
100.7
100.5
100.5
100.3
100.2
100.2
100.2
  99.8
  99.7
  99.7
  99.2
  99.1
  98.9
  98.5
97.9
97.8
97.7
97.6
97.3
  96.6

-0.9
1.5
-1.1
2.7
0.4
3.0
5.3
7.3
-1.8
3.0
1.2
-1.0
-0.9
-3.0
0.0
-2.8
-1.7
-2.6
-2.3
-2.6
-3.6

-0.5
-2.1
2.2
1.4
-0.4
3.0
1.5
-0.8
-1.6
6.5
1.0
-1.1
-1.5
-2.2
4.5
-1.9
-1.0
-1.5
-1.1
4.1
-1.4
-2.0
-0.5
-5.7
4.6
-1.8
0.6
-2.9
-0.2
0.8

-1.2
-2.3
-2.2
-2.3

-5.7
-2.5
-4.4
1.0
-0.9
-2.1
-0.8
0.2
-3.3
-1.1

0.3
2.0
-0.2
0.0
3.3

-0.7
0.2
-2.7
1.9
1.6
-2.6

2.7
0.4
-0.3
1.5
0.3
1.3

-4.0
0.0
-0.5
-0.3
-2.4

3.0
-0.9
1.0
2.1
5.1
1.7

5.8
5.9

-1.3
-1.0
-2.7
0.6
0.0
-0.1
3.2
5.8
-1.0
3.1
0.0
-1.5
-1.7
3.8
-1.6
-3.5
-0.9
-1.7
-2.9
-2.1
5.5

-2.9
-5.4
3.7
0.5
-4.0
3.0
2.9
-3.4
0.5
3.0
-2.1
0.1
-2.7
1.8
5.0
-4.8
0.8
-3.1
-2.7
2.0
5.1
-2.8
0.6
-2.9
0.6
-0.6
0.6
-0.1
4.4
2.7

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:30 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:30 Uhr

 
 
 
 
 
Hungary – nMPI

Hungary

Hungary’s market performance assessment is just above the EU27 average and the 
country ranks 12th overall. 

Overall,  the  ranking  of  the  goods  markets  in  Hungary  follows  the  same  pattern  as 
the EU27 ranking, although the top 3 goods markets differ somewhat with the ap-
pearance in second and third place of personal care products and non-prescription 
medicines.  The  normalised  MPI  scores  for  the  goods  markets  stayed  at  a  similar 
level  as  in  2011.  The  market  for  books,  magazines  and  newspapers  has  stabilised 
its  first  position,  with  an  increase  of  3.2  points.  Furthermore,  the  market  of  meat 
and  meat  products  shows  a  decline  of  4.2  points  in  the  nMPI  score.  This  decline 
could be a result of media attention on price increases for chicken meat during the 
fieldwork period.

S
D
O
O
G

The difference in ranking of service markets compared to the EU27 ranking is some-
what larger than for the goods markets. The markets for gambling and lottery serv-
ices  and  postal  services  are  assessed  remarkably  better  than  the  EU27  average, 
ending  up  in  second  and  third  place.  The  markets  for  mobile  telephone  services 
(8th  vs  23rd  place)  and  internet  provision  (15th  vs  25th  place)  are  also  rated  re-
markably better in the Hungarian ranking than in the EU27 ranking. Conversely, the 
market for bank accounts is assessed as clearly below average (26th vs 16th place) 
as is the market for mortgages, which has a difference of 14.9 points with the EU27 
average. These counter-performances could be explained by the economic crisis and 
a set of new regulations and aids for financial products.

The 2012 ranking of services is fairly similar to 2011, although a few markets have 
moved  within  the  ranking.  Home  insurance  is  rated  at  3.2  points  above  its  2011 
level.  TV  subscriptions  improved  dramatically  from  last  year  with  a  15.5  point  in-
crease which could be linked to better package offers and increased media coverage. 
Electricity  services  are  11  ranks  behind  their  2011  position  following  a  6.2  point 
decrease from 2011. The 2012 assessments for water supply and airline services are 
also below their 2011 MPI scores. In the case of airline services, this could be linked 
to the bankruptcy of the former national airline, Malév.

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Personal care products
Non prescription medicines
Non-alcoholic drinks
Electronic products
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Small household appliances
Entertainment goods
Furniture and furnishings
Alcoholic drinks
Spectacles and lenses
Large household appliances
ICT products
Maintenance products
Dairy products
Fruit and vegetables
Fuel for vehicles
New cars
Meat and meat products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Gambling and lottery services
Postal services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Commercial sport services
Mobile telephone services
Airline services
Vehicle insurance
Fixed telephone services
Vehicle rental services
TV-subscriptions
Packaged holidays & tours
Internet provision
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Home insurance
Tram, local bus, metro
Water supply
Train services
Legal and accountancy services
Maintenance services
Gas services
Private life insurance
Electricity services
Bank accounts
Loans, credit and credit cards
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages

87

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
HU
EU27

109.3
105.1
104.0
103.4
102.6
102.3
102.1
101.9
101.8
101.5
101.2
101.0
100.5
100.5
  98.3
  98.2
97.3
  96.8
  95.5
  91.3
  85.3

113.4
110.5
108.7
108.4
106.8
106.7
106.7
105.5
105.1
104.2
103.6
103.6
100.5
100.5
100.0
  99.9
  99.7
  99.5
97.8
  96.8
  95.7
  95.5
  95.5
  95.3
  94.8
  94.5
  92.4
  90.0
  89.2
  79.1

3.2
1.8
2.4
0.0
2.1
-1.3
0.8
0.8
1.9
-0.5
-2.2
-0.5
1.1
2.1
-2.3
-1.3
-1.7
-2.5
-4.2
0.8
-0.6

0.3
-0.6
-1.9
0.6
-0.8
1.4
-1.0
0.8
-5.3
-1.2
-3.2
-2.9
15.5
0.5
0.5
1.1
3.2
0.0
-4.3
2.1
2.2
1.8
-1.9
2.1
-6.2
-4.7
2.6
-2.7
1.1
0.8

-2.6
0.6
0.7
-1.8
-4.6
-0.7
-2.3
0.1
-2.4
1.3

-3.3
-4.8
-3.4

-2.1
-2.0
-0.8
0.4
-6.6
-7.8

4.9
4.4
8.1
1.9
0.3
2.2
2.7
3.2
5.8
5.6
5.3
4.1

-0.4
1.6
-0.2
-2.2
2.7
7.1
2.3

-1.5
6.7

8.4
6.4

4.7
-1.6

4.8
4.0
3.7
0.2
1.5
-0.5
0.4
0.5
1.2
-0.2
-1.2
-0.8
1.5
0.6
-3.3
-0.1
1.9
-2.4
-1.9
-4.2
-5.6

5.5
8.9
6.2
1.8
1.8
4.0
1.2
7.8
0.5
1.3
3.4
1.6
2.8
-2.7
2.6
1.5
-1.7
-0.9
-0.7
-1.5
-2.9
-1.5
-3.9
-2.4
-0.4
-4.0
-6.0
-4.0
-3.6
-14.9

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:31 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:31 Uhr

 
 
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88

Malta

Malta comes in 5th position in the overall country ranking. Major differences in the 
nMPI  and  ranking  were  recorded  this  year  and  last  year  and  may  be  explained  by 
the smaller base size used for this country. 20 markets show large differences in the 
nMPI from last year and 10 markets show large differences from the EU27 scores.

The 2012 goods market ranking is very different from last year’s. Fruit and vegeta-
bles  and  clothing  and  footwear  are  rated  above  their  2011  levels  both  in  terms  of 
the nMPI and ranking. Entertainment goods, electronic products, and spectacles and 
lenses  are  all  assessed  less  favourably  than  last  year,  again  in  terms  of  the  nMPI 
and ranking.

S
D
O
O
G

There are obvious differences with the EU27 ranking for goods markets with 5 mar-
kets differing widely both in terms of the MPI and ranking. The markets for meat and 
meat products, fruit and vegetables, and clothing and footwear are assessed better 
than average, while the markets for spectacles and lenses and large household ap-
pliances are assessed worse than average.

The  service  markets’  ranking  is  rather  different  from  the  2011  ranking.  Private  life 
insurance  is  rated  better  than  last  year  in  terms  of  both  the  MPI  and  the  ranking, 
while gambling and lottery are considered less favourably for these indicators.

There  are  large  differences  with  the  EU27  ranking.  The  largest  is  recorded  for  the 
tram, local bus and metro market, with a difference of 14.3 points from the average. 
This could be linked to the privatisation of the bus network. The market assessments 
of bank accounts, mortgages as well as loans, credits and credit cards are all better 
than average both in terms of the nMPI and the ranking.

Non-alcoholic drinks
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Dairy products
Meat and meat products
Fruit and vegetables
Clothing and footwear
Personal care products
Alcoholic drinks
Books, magazines and newspapers
Non prescription medicines
Fuel for vehicles
Furniture and furnishings
ICT products
New cars
Entertainment goods
Spectacles and lenses
Small household appliances
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Maintenance products
Second hand cars

Bank accounts
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Loans, credit and credit cards
Personal care services
Airline services
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Mobile telephone services
Private life insurance
Vehicle rental services
Culture and entertainment
Packaged holidays & tours
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Fixed telephone services
Mortgages
Water supply
Home insurance
Vehicle insurance
Postal services
Electricity services
Internet provision
Legal and accountancy services
Real estate services
Maintenance services
Gambling and lottery services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
TV-subscriptions
Tram, local bus, metro

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Malta – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
MT
EU27

105.3
105.3
104.9
104.0
103.5
102.4
102.2
102.2
101.3
100.9
  99.5
  98.9
97.3
97.2
97.1
97.0
97.0
  96.6
  96.5
  96.1
  95.0

106.2
104.8
104.5
103.8
103.7
103.3
103.2
102.3
101.8
101.8
101.6
101.3
100.4
100.2
100.0
  99.8
  99.7
  99.3
  99.1
97.9
97.6
97.4
97.3
97.1
97.1
  96.9
  95.7
  86.0

3.9
3.8
3.2
3.5
4.4
3.8
1.5
1.4
-1.8
-0.9
2.4
-1.5
-3.3
0.9
-4.7
-3.4
-4.5
1.0
-5.0
-4.2
-0.6

3.7
1.2
0.9
-1.8
-2.4
-0.5
-2.3
0.5
3.0
0.6
-4.3
2.3
-2.7
-1.1
-0.1
7.6
-1.3
-1.6
-1.0
6.0
0.6
0.0
-2.8
-2.3
-6.7
0.9
7.2
-3.6

-2.5
-2.0

-4.6
-3.5
-1.7
-3.9
-4.2
-2.9
1.1
-3.8
-2.0
-2.2
-6.3
1.3
-1.9

-5.3
-2.5
2.3
-5.1

2.6
2.7

1.1
1.4
1.4
3.8
0.1

-0.8
3.1
-3.9
3.4
2.2

9.4
1.4
1.6
1.0
14.3
-0.6

1.4
6.2
2.9
-2.4

9.5

2.0
2.4
3.3
6.7
5.2
6.9
1.2
0.5
-3.2
0.5
4.0
-1.6
-1.7
-2.1
-4.4
-5.4
-4.7
-5.2
-4.7
-3.8
4.0

7.6
2.0
6.1
-4.1
-0.8
-2.2
-1.8
4.6
4.2
-0.1
-5.0
-1.8
2.0
-0.1
5.9
1.3
-1.8
-3.6
-3.3
2.7
0.2
-1.1
3.3
0.1
-4.5
4.1
-2.0
-14.3

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:32 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:32 Uhr

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Netherlands

Market  performance  in  the  Netherlands  is  evaluated  just  above  the  EU27  average 
and the overall country position (7th)has not changed in the past 3 years. 

The  top  3  and  bottom  3  goods  categories  for  the  Netherlands  are  similar  to  the 
EU27  average,  except  the  alcoholic  drinks  market,  which  is  ranked  1st  in  the 
Netherlands and 7th in EU27.

The  top  3  service  categories  have  almost  identical  scores  in  the  Netherlands  as  in 
EU27. The market for investment products, private pensions and securities is ranked 
as  the  lowest  service  category  in  both  the  Netherlands  and  EU27,  although  the 
rating given in the Netherlands – 86.7 – is particularly low.

Goods category ratings are very similar to their 2011 level, and there are also little 
differences with the EU27 ranking.

There has been little variation in the service sectors since 2011, the biggest improve-
ment being loans, credit and credit cards, which rose by 3.1 points and the largest 
negative change being train services, which decreased by 3.0 points. In comparison 
to EU27, water supply is ranked 4th in the Netherlands, but 18th at EU27 level, and 
the  maintenance  services  market  is  ranked  10  places  higher  in  the  Netherlands. 
Conversely,  when  compared  to  the  EU27  level  postal  services  and  gambling  and 
lottery services are ranked 14 and 11 places lower respectively.

Netherlands – nMPI

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Alcoholic drinks
Non-alcoholic drinks
Books, magazines and newspapers
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Entertainment goods
Dairy products
Personal care products
Small household appliances
Large household appliances
Non prescription medicines
Spectacles and lenses
Maintenance products
Fuel for vehicles
Furniture and furnishings
New cars
Electronic products
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Water supply
Commercial sport services
Airline services
Vehicle insurance
Packaged holidays & tours
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle rental services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Home insurance
Legal and accountancy services
Bank accounts
Loans, credit and credit cards
Maintenance services
Gas services
Electricity services
Fixed telephone services
Tram, local bus, metro
Real estate services
Gambling and lottery services
Postal services
Mortgages
TV-subscriptions
Train services
Internet provision
Mobile telephone services
Private life insurance
Investment products, private pensions and securities

89

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
NL
EU27

103.5
102.5
102.4
102.0
101.9
101.7
101.2
101.1
100.9
100.7
100.3
100.1
100.0
  99.8
  99.5
  99.2
  98.0
  98.0
  96.9
  95.4
  94.8

107.7
106.7
105.4
105.0
104.3
104.1
104.1
103.6
103.3
102.7
102.1
101.8
101.6
101.1
100.9
100.6
100.6
100.3
  99.1
97.2
97.2
  96.6
  96.3
  95.9
  95.7
  95.5
  94.8
  94.7
  94.4
  86.7

1.2
-0.9
-0.1
0.0
0.7
-0.2
-0.5
-0.3
0.9
-0.1
-0.9
0.4
0.4
1.6
0.0
0.8
-1.0
-0.5
0.8
-2.3
0.2

0.0
-0.4
0.0
0.6
-0.3
-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.9
-1.2
-0.3
0.1
0.8
2.4
3.1
1.0
0.5
0.5
-1.0
-2.8
-1.9
1.2
-2.5
1.5
2.1
-3.0
-0.2
0.3
1.4
-0.2

-2.7
-2.4
-3.1
-3.0
-1.1

-1.8
-1.3
-1.4
-2.7

-1.5
-4.6
-2.7
-2.2
-2.6
-1.6
-3.4
-2.7
-2.3
-2.4

2.9
3.1
2.8
1.0
2.0
3.0
3.8
3.0
3.6
2.2
2.6
2.6

2.9

2.9
3.8
2.5
3.9
2.3
2.6
1.4
0.3

0.5
2.5
2.1

3.3

1.8
-0.7
-2.1
-0.9
0.4
0.1
0.2
-0.6
-0.8
0.4
-2.1
0.2
4.6
-0.7
0.2
-1.9
-0.3
0.6
-2.1
0.0
3.8

-0.2
0.1
0.4
6.5
-1.2
-0.4
1.2
0.4
0.6
0.7
3.7
0.3
3.1
2.6
2.4
3.6
1.2
5.1
-1.1
-3.1
3.2
-5.0
-6.1
1.8
-2.0
-2.8
-2.5
-3.1
-3.2
-6.2

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:33 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:33 Uhr

 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

90

Austria

The performance of the various markets is evaluated just above the EU27 average 
and ranks 8th overall. 

On  the  whole  the  ranking  of  the  markets  in  Austria  is  following  the  same  pattern 
as  the  EU27  ranking.  For  the  goods  markets  the  top  3  and  bottom  3  markets  are 
the  same  as  EU27.  The  fuel  market  is  seen  to  be  performing  somewhat  less  well, 
ending in 21st place compared to the 20th place held by EU27. The fuels market is 
also the market with the largest difference in the nMPI score for the goods markets 
(−7.2 points). 

S
D
O
O
G

The  differences  in  the  ranking  and  scores  of  the  service  markets  are  somewhat 
bigger.  Culture  and  entertainment  services  and  personal  care  services  are  found 
at  the  top  of  the  ranking,  similar  to  EU27  ranking.  Commercial  sports  services  are 
falling just below the top 3, while holiday accommodation is assessed slightly bet-
ter in Austria than at the EU27 level. At the bottom of the ranking, it is the market 
for mobile telephone services that is considered to be performing less well, holding 
the 28th place, while at EU27 level this market is to be found at 23rd place. Other 
significant  differences  can  be  found  for  the  markets  for  water  supply  and  vehicle 
maintenance  and  repair  services,  where  the  assessment  is  clearly  better  than  at 
EU27 level. The market for postal services is rated less well and is ranked 17 places 
lower than at EU27 level.

A comparison of 2012 results with previous years shows that the largest decrease 
in assessment is in the market for postal services. It is already the second year run-
ning  that  this  market  has  been  rated  less  well  than  the  previous  year.  The  largest 
increases in assessments can be found in the markets for vehicle maintenance and 
repair  services,  and  train  services.  For  the  latter,  the  emergence  of  a  private  com-
petitor to the state-owned incumbent operator seems to have had a positive impact 
on the performance of this market in Austria. 

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Non-alcoholic drinks
Spectacles and lenses
Books, magazines and newspapers
Dairy products
Small household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Entertainment goods
Large household appliances
Alcoholic drinks
New cars
Personal care products
Maintenance products
Electronic products
Furniture and furnishings
Non prescription medicines
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars
Fuel for vehicles

Culture and entertainment
Personal care services
Holiday accommodation
Commercial sport services
Tram, local bus, metro
Airline services
Water supply
Packaged holidays & tours
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Vehicle insurance
Home insurance
Loans, credit and credit cards
Train services
Legal and accountancy services
Vehicle rental services
Gambling and lottery services
Maintenance services
Electricity services
Fixed telephone services
Private life insurance
Gas services
Bank accounts
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Postal services
Mortgages
Mobile telephone services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Real estate services

Austria – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
AT
EU27

105.4
105.2
103.7
103.7
103.6
103.5
102.9
102.5
102.2
101.6
101.3
100.9
100.9
100.5
97.7
  96.8
  96.6
  95.9
  95.8
  90.9
  88.3

109.9
109.3
108.0
104.6
104.6
104.5
104.0
103.5
103.4
102.8
102.3
102.3
102.2
102.0
  99.7
  99.6
  99.5
  99.3
  98.9
97.8
  96.6
  96.2
  96.2
  95.5
  94.9
  94.8
  94.7
  92.5
  91.3
  89.4

1.6
0.4
-2.5
0.7
0.2
0.3
-0.6
-0.4
0.3
1.0
-0.2
0.8
0.0
0.0
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-0.9
1.2
1.2
-1.3

-0.8
-1.4
1.3
-1.1
-1.8
-2.1
-0.7
-0.4
-0.5
3.8
-1.0
1.3
0.6
4.3
0.2
-1.0
-1.5
1.1
-0.2
-0.1
-0.6
-1.1
-1.6
0.4
1.7
-3.0
1.6
-0.2
1.3
1.5

-3.6

-3.6

-3.2
-1.2
-0.5
-2.8
-4.6
-3.4
-2.6
-1.3
-3.1
-3.4
-2.7
-2.7
-2.8
-2.8
-6.4
-3.6
-7.1

2.1
5.6
1.2
3.5
2.9
4.2
1.7
4.4
4.4
-0.2
4.1
2.6

2.2

0.3
2.5
1.6
2.6
3.7

3.3
2.8
4.8

-0.8

-0.1
5.7
2.7

 2.1
2.8
-0.8
2.1
1.9
0.6
1.4
0.7
0.5
2.4
0.3
1.0
-0.3
0.0
-2.6
-1.5
-0.7
-3.1
0.3
-0.1
-7.2

3.3
1.4
2.9
-1.0
4.2
0.0
5.5
0.4
0.7
4.4
-0.6
0.9
3.7
3.8
1.1
-2.3
-2.1
2.2
3.7
-2.4
-1.1
-3.2
-2.4
-1.8
-2.9
-7.7
0.6
-5.2
-1.6
-4.5

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:34 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:34 Uhr

 
 
Poland

Poland’s  overall  market  assessment  has  not  changed  since  2011  and  puts  Poland 
slightly below the EU27 average (21st place).

The  top  and  bottom  3  goods  categories  are  similar  in  Poland  and  the  EU27,  with 
the exception of bread, cereals, rice and pasta, which is ranked 10th in Poland and 
3rd  at  EU27  level.  The  score  for  meat  and  meat  products  is  5.2  points  lower  in 
Poland than the EU27 average, and second-hand cars are rated 4.9 points lower in 
Poland than in EU27.

As  in  EU27,  the  top  ranked  service  sector  in  Poland  is  personal  care  services.  The 
most  positive  change  since  2011  is  for  TV  subscriptions,  which  increased  its  score 
by 3.6. The bottom ranked service sector in Poland is train services, 8.7 points and 
9 places lower than average.

Poland – nMPI

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Non-alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
Alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Entertainment goods
Furniture and furnishings
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Non prescription medicines
Personal care products
Maintenance products
ICT products
Dairy products
New cars
Fruit and vegetables
Clothing and footwear
Fuel for vehicles
Meat and meat products
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Commercial sport services
Airline services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle insurance
Packaged holidays & tours
Home insurance
Tram, local bus, metro
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Postal services
Gambling and lottery services
Vehicle rental services
Fixed telephone services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Mobile telephone services
TV-subscriptions
Water supply
Internet provision
Legal and accountancy services
Gas services
Private life insurance
Bank accounts
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Electricity services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages
Real estate services
Train services

91

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
PL
EU27

106.9
104.9
103.8
103.6
103.4
103.4
103.3
103.0
102.5
102.4
101.3
101.3
100.7
100.1
  99.3
  98.6
97.8
  93.2
  92.2
  92.2
  86.0

110.0
107.0
107.0
106.3
105.0
104.1
103.6
102.9
101.9
101.7
101.6
101.5
101.4
101.3
100.7
100.7
100.1
100.1
  99.7
  99.2
  99.0
  98.3
97.2
  96.3
  95.4
  93.1
  92.0
  92.0
  91.4
  89.6

-0.5
0.4
1.0
1.4
1.5
0.8
1.5
0.1
1.4
-0.4
-0.2
-1.3
0.8
0.7
-1.7
0.0
-0.1
-0.6
-1.7
-1.6
-1.5

-1.3
0.3
0.0
-2.0
-1.7
0.9
0.4
-1.0
-0.9
-2.1
-0.8
1.1
-0.9
1.2
1.4
1.5
3.6
-1.7
2.8
-0.7
-1.2
0.0
-1.1
1.1
1.0
-0.7
-0.1
-1.0
-1.5
3.4

-2.1

-2.8
-1.9
-3.2
-2.2
-3.2
2.4
-0.9
-2.7
-0.5
-2.7
-1.6
-1.6

-1.2
-4.5
-3.3
-3.9
-2.1
0.3

3.0
2.5
3.4
0.9
3.8
1.2
4.8
1.5
-0.3
3.1
2.9
1.8
1.8
0.3

0.2

2.9
0.8

0.6

1.9
1.1
0.5
-0.4
1.6

3.8
-3.7

2.4
2.5
0.6
1.9
1.7
1.7
2.2
1.6
2.0
-0.5
1.0
0.2
0.8
1.1
-2.3
-0.6
-0.5
-2.3
-3.2
-5.2
-4.9

2.1
1.5
2.5
-0.3
0.0
1.2
0.5
1.4
1.6
-1.0
-0.8
-0.1
-0.5
1.0
2.2
3.0
2.4
1.6
2.3
0.7
-0.4
0.6
-1.3
-2.1
-1.6
-2.1
-0.8
-2.1
-2.6
-8.7

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:35 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:35 Uhr

 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

92

Portugal

The Portuguese markets have been rated slightly below the EU27 level for the past 
3 years, and the country ranks 20th overall this year.

The top 3 goods categories in Portugal are assessed at a similar level to the EU27 
average. The bottom 3 goods are all automotive-related: second-hand cars, fuel for 
vehicles  and  new  cars.  Increased  fuel  prices  and  problems  within  the  automotive 
sector in Portugal may have had an impact on these ratings.

As in EU27 as a whole, personal care services are the highest rated within the serv-
ices category. The 2nd highest rated service sector in Portugal (gambling and lottery 
services) is 8.4 points and 9 places above its EU27 level. Mobile phone services also 
receive  a  positive  assessment  and  are  ranked  11th  in  Portugal,  as  against  23rd  in 
EU27. The performance of TV subscription services is also assessed as good, rising 
from  90.4  in  2011  to  95.2  in  2012,  which  may  reflect  the  switch  to  digital  TV  in 
Portugal. The lowest rated service sector is electricity services, whose assessment is 
5.7 points lower in Portugal than the EU27 average. Bank accounts are also evaluated
more criticially, ranking 26th in Portugal compared with 16th at the EU27 level.

Portugal – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
PT
EU27

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Non-alcoholic drinks
Entertainment goods
Electronic products
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Personal care products
Alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Dairy products
Small household appliances
ICT products
Furniture and furnishings
Non prescription medicines
Fruit and vegetables
Maintenance products
Clothing and footwear
Meat and meat products
New cars
Fuel for vehicles
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Gambling and lottery services
Holiday accommodation
Culture and entertainment
Airline services
Packaged holidays & tours
Commercial sport services
Vehicle insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle rental services
Mobile telephone services
Postal services
Tram, local bus, metro
Train services
Home insurance
Fixed telephone services
Private life insurance
Gas services
Legal and accountancy services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Water supply
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Bank accounts
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages
Electricity services

104.5
103.3
102.9
102.5
102.5
102.3
102.1
102.1
101.8
101.8
101.8
101.6
100.6
100.4
  99.8
  99.4
  98.9
  98.1
  96.7
  89.4
87.5

110.3
110.0
107.3
106.7
106.4
104.8
104.4
103.7
103.5
102.1
101.7
101.6
100.8
100.4
100.0
  98.5
  98.3
  98.3
97.8
  96.9
  96.8
  96.7
  96.4
  96.1
  95.2
  94.8
  94.6
  94.6
  91.8
  89.5

0.5
0.0
-0.5
-0.3
0.7
-0.4
0.2
-0.1
1.2
-1.3
-1.0
0.2
-0.5
0.4
0.3
-0.2
0.4
-0.3
0.7
-0.5
0.5

-0.8
2.4
-0.1
-1.3
-0.1
0.0
-0.8
1.9
-1.4
-0.8
0.8
-2.5
-2.1
-2.6
-0.2
1.3
0.4
-1.8
-0.1
0.3
1.3
0.0
0.4
1.9
4.9
0.3
-1.4
1.0
0.0
-0.9

-4.5

-2.7
0.2
-3.5
-2.1
-2.5
-2.6
-3.2

-1.1
-0.9
-2.2
-5.5
-1.5
-2.6
-2.4
-2.3
-2.7
-5.8
-2.3

3.6
-1.4
3.0
2.5
4.6
4.4
4.0
4.0
4.8
2.4
2.2
1.7
0.7
-0.9
4.3
5.0

-0.8

0.8
2.2
2.1
2.2

2.9
3.2
3.9

-1.9

-0.1
0.9
-0.4
1.0
1.3
-0.5
1.1
0.4
0.1
0.2
0.1
2.6
0.1
0.1
1.5
-0.5
3.4
0.7
-2.6
-6.0
-3.4

2.4
8.4
2.2
0.2
1.9
1.6
-1.1
0.8
0.8
0.2
4.0
-0.9
0.5
2.1
-1.4
-1.7
0.7
-1.1
-0.7
-1.5
-1.7
-1.7
-0.7
-1.2
-2.5
-3.8
0.6
1.7
-2.3
-5.7

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:36 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:36 Uhr

 
 
Romania

Romania’s market performance assessment is below the EU27 average (24th place). 
It was at a similar level in 2010 and 2011.

The  top  ranked  goods  categories  in  Romania  are  quite  different  from  the  EU27 
average. Large household appliances are ranked top with a score 5.1 points above 
the  EU27  level.  The  new  cars  market  has  increased  its  score  by  3.1  since  2011, 
and  is  now  5.5  points  and  12  places  above  the  EU  level.  ICT  products  are  ranked 
5th in Romania and 16th in the EU as a whole. The beverage sector receives a less 
positive assessment in Romania, with alcoholic drinks 6.3 points lower than  its  EU 
score, and non-alcoholic drinks 12 places lower than its EU level. In relation to their 
2011 scores, dairy products and clothing and footwear have decreased by 4.0 and 
3.6 respectively.

The top ranked service sectors are airline services, personal care services and postal 
services. Airline services and postal services are both 5.3 points higher in Romania 
than  at  EU27  level.  The  telecommunications  sectors  are  assessed  favourably,  with 
mobile  telephone  services  ranking  6th  in  Romania  and  23rd  at  the  EU27  level.  In-
ternet provision ranks 11 places higher in Romania than in EU27. At the bottom end 
of  the  service  sectors,  mortgages  score  86.8  (7.2  below  the  EU27  level)  and  train 
services are 7.4 points below the EU27 level. The biggest change since 2011 is in TV 
subscription services, which have risen by 6.4 points and from 23rd to 13th position 
within the Romanian service sectors.

Romania – nMPI

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Large household appliances
Books, magazines and newspapers
New cars
Spectacles and lenses
ICT products
Electronic products
Small household appliances
Entertainment goods
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Maintenance products
Furniture and furnishings
Personal care products
Non prescription medicines
Non-alcoholic drinks
Dairy products
Alcoholic drinks
Clothing and footwear
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Fuel for vehicles
Second hand cars

Airline services
Personal care services
Postal services
Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Mobile telephone services
Packaged holidays & tours
Fixed telephone services
Vehicle rental services
Holiday accommodation
Home insurance
Vehicle insurance
TV-subscriptions
Internet provision
Bank accounts
Tram, local bus, metro
Private life insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Electricity services
Gas services
Gambling and lottery services
Legal and accountancy services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Water supply
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Loans, credit and credit cards
Real estate services
Train services
Mortgages

93

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
RO
EU27

106.9
106.8
104.8
104.0
103.3
103.2
103.1
102.7
102.2
101.5
101.4
100.7
100.3
  99.3
  98.0
  95.4
  94.0
  93.9
  93.6
  93.1
  91.9

109.8
108.1
107.8
106.4
105.5
105.3
105.2
104.9
104.8
103.3
102.4
102.0
101.7
101.3
101.3
100.1
  99.7
  99.1
  98.9
97.7
97.6
97.1
  96.4
  94.5
  93.6
  93.2
  92.8
  91.5
  90.9
  86.8

2.0
-1.2
3.1
2.2
-0.7
0.2
0.9
0.4
0.2
1.8
1.1
-0.7
-1.3
-2.6
-4.0
0.3
-3.6
1.3
-0.7
-0.3
1.5

0.5
0.0
-2.1
-1.6
0.4
0.4
2.6
-2.0
1.2
1.3
-0.3
-1.2
6.4
0.4
3.1
-1.0
1.0
-0.6
2.1
0.3
-3.4
-1.5
1.3
-3.5
-1.3
-0.4
0.1
-2.8
1.1
-0.4

-1.3
-2.3
-1.0

-2.3
-2.5
-1.6
0.9
-2.3
-0.8
-1.2
-1.9
1.7
2.1

-0.2
1.0
-8.1
-1.4
-6.5
0.5

1.3
0.9
2.5
1.4
-0.3
-1.9
2.8
-0.2
1.6
1.7
-0.3
3.1

-0.1
1.1
1.9

0.1
-1.7
-3.1
-1.2

2.1
-0.3
-0.4
4.1

5.4
2.1

5.1
2.2
5.5
1.6
4.3
2.0
1.4
1.2
-0.7
1.6
0.9
-0.3
0.0
-3.9
-3.6
-6.3
-1.5
-4.4
-3.8
-2.4
0.9

5.3
0.2
5.3
-0.2
0.0
7.6
2.0
4.7
2.9
-1.7
1.0
-0.9
4.0
4.0
2.7
-0.2
2.0
-3.6
3.7
-1.7
-4.0
-1.4
-2.0
-2.6
-4.8
0.4
-5.7
-2.5
-7.4
-7.2

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:37 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:37 Uhr

 
 
 
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94

Slovenia

Slovenia’s overall market performance is rated slightly above the EU27 average, al-
though it has declined from being the 3rd ranked country in 2011 to being the 10th 
ranked country in 2012.

The  top  and  bottom  ranked  goods  sectors  are  in  line  with  the  EU27  average,  with 
the notable exception of fuel for vehicles, which is ranked 3rd in Slovenia but 20th 
in EU27. Furthermore, the non-alcoholic drinks market is ranked 2nd in the EU27 but 
13th  in  Slovenia.  In  comparison  to  2011,  the  scores  for  spectacles  and  lenses  and 
maintenance products have both increased by 3.1 points.

S
D
O
O
G

The top ranked service sector is gas services, ranked 7.8 points and 14 places higher 
than  at  the  EU27  level.  Train  services  are  ranked  5.6  points  and  12  places  higher 
than in EU27. Slovenia’s lowest ranked service sectors are similar to EU27, except for 
legal and accountancy services. This market has decreased by 4.9 points since 2011 
and is now ranked 29th in Slovenia and 17th in EU27. The score for TV subscription 
services  has  increased  by  7.3  points,  perhaps  as  a  result  of  a  new  TV  subscrip-
tion package service launched in Slovenia, called ‘Pop Non Stop’. The vehicle rental 
services sector has decreased by 3.2 points since 2011 and is now 11 places below 
the EU27 level. The assessment of gambling and lottery services has decreased by 
5.8 points in comparison to EU27 and is now at 13 places below EU27. Investment 
products are last in the ranking for both Slovenia and EU27, but this market is rated 
8.7 points lower in the nMPI than in the EU27 ranking.

Spectacles and lenses
Books, magazines and newspapers
Fuel for vehicles
Entertainment goods
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Alcoholic drinks
Dairy products
Maintenance products
ICT products
Small household appliances
Non-alcoholic drinks
New cars
Furniture and furnishings
Personal care products
Non prescription medicines
Meat and meat products
Clothing and footwear
Fruit and vegetables
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Gas services
Culture and entertainment
Personal care services
Postal services
Airline services
Commercial sport services
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle insurance
Train services
Tram, local bus, metro
Home insurance
Packaged holidays & tours
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Mobile telephone services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Fixed telephone services
Water supply
Electricity services
Bank accounts
Loans, credit and credit cards
Vehicle rental services
Internet provision
TV-subscriptions
Gambling and lottery services
Maintenance services
Mortgages
Private life insurance
Real estate services
Legal and accountancy services
Investment products, private pensions and securities

Slovenia – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
SI
EU27

104.9
103.6
103.5
103.0
102.4
101.9
101.8
101.5
101.4
101.3
101.2
101.0
101.0
  99.4
  99.3
  99.0
  98.0
97.0
  96.0
  94.6
  88.0

107.2
107.0
107.0
106.9
105.6
105.2
104.5
104.0
103.9
103.0
102.2
102.0
101.3
101.1
101.0
101.0
100.3
  99.9
  99.9
  99.4
  99.3
  98.3
97.2
  95.8
  95.0
  94.8
  92.8
  90.5
  89.9
  84.1

3.1
1.0
1.4
0.5
0.1
1.4
-0.9
0.5
-1.1
3.1
2.6
-0.8
-1.0
-1.8
0.9
-0.4
-1.1
-2.1
-1.3
-2.4
-1.7

2.8
-0.5
-1.7
1.0
-0.9
1.2
-1.0
0.2
-0.3
-0.8
1.7
-1.1
-2.0
1.1
0.1
-1.3
0.7
1.1
0.2
-1.0
-3.2
1.0
7.3
0.7
-0.3
0.4
1.4
-1.7
-4.9
-0.2

-1.3
-2.7
3.0
0.1
-0.8
0.6
-0.6

1.4
-2.2
0.5
1.4
-0.1
-1.3
-0.9
2.4
0.6
2.9
-0.2
-0.9

-2.1
0.7
1.8
-2.2
2.4
-1.0
3.1
-1.2
-0.7
-0.6
-0.4
2.7
3.6
0.7
1.3
0.2
-2.8
-2.7
-2.5

1.1
1.7

-3.1
0.7

6.2

-1.8

2.5
-0.9
8.0
1.6
-0.5
0.2
0.6
-0.1
-0.2
1.4
2.2
-0.7
-2.3
0.2
-1.2
-2.0
-2.3
-0.4
0.6
-3.7
-2.9

7.8
0.4
-0.9
4.5
1.1
-0.3
-0.5
1.1
5.6
2.7
0.8
-1.1
-1.5
3.4
2.6
0.7
1.8
4.7
1.3
0.9
-2.6
0.9
-0.6
-5.8
-2.1
0.7
-4.9
-3.5
-8.6
-8.7

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:38 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:38 Uhr

 
 
Slovakia

On the whole Slovakia’s goods and service markets are rated at the same level as 
EU27.  Slovakia’s  market  performance  has  fluctuated  over  time,  from  being  ranked 
11th in 2010 to 7th in 2011, and now 15th in 2012.

The  performance  assessment  of  the  goods  sectors  in  Slovakia  is  very  similar  to 
that of the EU27, and there has been little change since 2011. The top performing 
goods categories in Slovakia (non-alcoholic drinks and books, magazines and news-
papers)  are  the  same  as  the  top  2  goods  sectors  in  2011  in  EU27.  The  categories 
performing  least  well  also  reflect  Slovakia’s  2011  results  and  the  EU27  average, 
although it is worth noting that the market assessment of clothing and footwear is 
6.7 points lower in Slovakia than in EU27, while the assessment of second-hand cars is 
5.4 points lower in Slovakia than in EU27.

S
D
O
O
G

In comparison to EU27, there are considerable differences in service sector ratings. 
The  fixed  telephone  services  category  is  ranked  2nd  in  Slovakia,  12  places  and 
7.4 points above its EU27 level. The utilities sectors in Slovakia are rated particularly 
favourably, with electricity services 8.6 points and 20 places higher in Slovakia than 
in EU27, while water supply is 6.7 points and 13 places higher than EU27, with an in-
crease of 4.3 points in Slovakia since 2011. The leisure sectors are assessed as less 
good in Slovakia with rankings lower than the EU27 average for packaged holidays 
and tours, gambling and lottery services, and cafés, bars and restaurants. Similarly, 
vehicle rental services are rated less well in Slovakia than the EU27 average.

Slovakia – nMPI

Books, magazines and newspapers
Non-alcoholic drinks
Large household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Spectacles and lenses
Small household appliances
Electronic products
Alcoholic drinks
Entertainment goods
Dairy products
Non prescription medicines
Personal care products
Furniture and furnishings
New cars
ICT products
Fuel for vehicles
Maintenance products
Fruit and vegetables
Meat and meat products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Fixed telephone services
Postal services
Commercial sport services
Water supply
Culture and entertainment
Electricity services
Holiday accommodation
Gas services
Airline services
Tram, local bus, metro
Vehicle insurance
Home insurance
Train services
Mobile telephone services
TV-subscriptions
Internet provision
Bank accounts
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle rental services
Packaged holidays & tours
Loans, credit and credit cards
Gambling and lottery services
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Legal and accountancy services
Private life insurance
Maintenance services
Mortgages
Real estate services
Investment products, private pensions and securities

95

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
SK
EU27

109.0
105.4
105.2
103.8
103.4
103.4
103.2
103.0
102.0
101.6
100.7
100.6
100.5
  99.5
  99.5
97.7
97.2
  96.3
  93.8
  88.7
  85.6

108.5
107.6
107.4
105.6
105.1
105.1
103.8
103.7
103.4
103.3
103.1
101.8
101.3
100.3
100.2
  99.9
  99.7
  99.6
  99.4
  99.3
  98.9
97.1
  96.8
  95.7
  95.2
  93.9
  92.9
  92.5
  91.0
87.7

-0.1
0.3
1.7
0.0
-0.5
0.7
1.9
0.1
0.0
-0.1
-0.4
-1.5
1.5
0.6
0.5
-2.7
-1.3
-0.1
1.0
-0.8
-0.7

0.9
-0.1
-0.6
1.5
4.3
-1.7
1.8
1.7
-1.7
0.3
-0.6
0.3
1.3
0.3
0.3
3.3
1.6
-0.9
-1.7
-2.8
-1.0
0.2
-2.2
-1.6
-1.7
-0.7
1.6
-1.2
0.2
-1.2

-3.2
0.8
-0.5
-1.2

0.3
-2.7
0.7
2.1

-0.2
-1.4
-0.5
-1.3
-1.3
-3.8
0.6
-2.2
-2.3
-2.4
0.2

-0.7
3.0
2.2
0.6
0.4
0.9
0.2
-1.2
-0.5
2.4
-0.1
2.2
1.9
-2.2
2.8

0.2
3.0
2.3
4.1
2.4

-1.5
1.3

-1.5

1.1
2.2

4.4
2.2
3.4
0.9
1.0
1.7
2.1
1.3
0.5
0.0
0.4
-0.4
0.0
0.3
0.5
2.2
-2.8
-2.0
-3.6
-6.7
-5.4

0.6
7.4
5.0
0.1
6.7
-1.5
8.6
-1.3
4.0
-1.2
2.8
-1.1
-0.1
2.0
2.5
2.2
2.3
1.0
-3.3
-2.6
-4.3
-1.4
-4.8
-2.7
-3.3
-3.7
-4.1
-1.6
-3.0
-5.2

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:39 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:39 Uhr

 
 
 
 
C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

96

Finland

The  overall  performance  assessment  for  Finland  is  slightly  above  the  EU  average.
In terms of goods markets, alcoholic drinks, dairy products and non-alcoholic drinks
are  still  the  top  3  markets  in  2012,  as  in  2011.  Non-alcoholic  drinks  appear  in
the  EU27  top  3,  but  the  other  markets  differ.  ICT  products  and  second-hand  cars
remain  in  the  bottom  3  goods  markets,  joined  this  year  by  the  clothing  and  foot-
wear market. ICT products do not appear in the EU27 bottom 3, but the other two 
markets are identical.

Several goods markets receive a more positive rating than the EU27 average: mort-
gages  are  16  positions  higher  in  Finland  than  in  EU27,  while  water  supply  services 
and loans, credit and credit cards services are 10 places above the EU27 ranking. In 
contrast,  vehicle  insurance  and  fixed  telephone  services  are  both  11  places  below 
the EU27 ranking. In comparison with 2011, the cafés, bars and restaurants market 
moved down 10 places, although its MPI only decreased by 2.7 points.

As  regards  service  markets,  personal  care  and  cultural  and  entertainment  services 
are  in  the  same  positions  (first  and  second)  as  last  year,  but  holiday  accommoda-
tion is now in third position, replacing the tram, local bus and metro market. The top 
3 markets are similar to the EU27 ranking, except for the third position. In the EU27 
ranking,  it  is  the  market  for  commercial  sports  services  which  takes  that  position. 
The  market  for  holiday  accommodation  is  fourth  at  the  EU  27  level.  The  bottom 
3 services markets are the same markets as those that appear as in 2011, but in a 
different  order:  mobile  telephone  services,  internet  provision  and  TV  subscriptions. 
The bottom 3 markets for Finland and EU27 are completely different. Several other 
markets show differences between Finland and EU27 as a whole: fuel for vehicles is 
13 positions above the average, while books, magazines and newspapers and spec-
tacles and lenses are below the EU27 position by 16 and 14 ranks respectively. The 
normalised  MPI  of  the  non-prescription  medicines  market  is  also  3.4  points  above 
the EU27 nMPI.

S
D
O
O
G

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Alcoholic drinks
Dairy products
Non-alcoholic drinks
Non prescription medicines
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Entertainment goods
Fuel for vehicles
Maintenance products
Personal care products
Meat and meat products
New cars
Electronic products
Small household appliances
Large household appliances
Fruit and vegetables
Furniture and furnishings
Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Clothing and footwear
ICT products
Second hand cars

Personal care services
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle rental services
Gambling and lottery services
Commercial sport services
Tram, local bus, metro
Water supply
Loans, credit and credit cards
Bank accounts
Packaged holidays & tours
Mortgages
Postal services
Airline services
Home insurance
Legal and accountancy services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle insurance
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Train services
Private life insurance
Real estate services
Electricity services
Maintenance services
Fixed telephone services
Investment products, private pensions and securities
TV-subscriptions
Internet provision
Mobile telephone services

Finland – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
FI
EU27

105.7
104.9
104.4
103.7
103.2
102.5
102.1
100.3
100.3
100.0
  99.9
  99.6
  99.6
  99.4
  99.4
  99.0
97.8
97.1
  95.0
  94.2
  92.0

107.1
106.4
105.2
105.1
104.2
104.1
104.1
103.4
103.3
103.1
103.1
102.6
102.3
102.1
101.6
101.4
101.2
100.7
  98.3
97.7
  96.6
  96.5
  96.2
  95.4
  94.5
  93.1
  90.8
  90.7
  89.1

-0.1
-0.9
0.2
1.1
-0.1
0.6
1.3
1.2
0.5
0.6
0.9
1.8
-1.9
-0.4
-1.7
-0.2
-1.2
0.3
-2.3
1.1
-0.9

-0.8
-0.5
1.8
1.2
0.0
1.5
-2.5
-0.1
0.5
1.8
0.2
0.7
-2.6
1.1
1.2
2.0
-2.7
-1.8
-1.8
-3.0
-0.9
-0.2
1.6
1.2
-1.9
1.9
1.3
1.5
-0.9

-1.0

-2.1
0.8
-2.4
0.6
-3.8
-1.4
-1.3
-2.2
-1.1
-3.0
-0.1
-1.2
-1.7
0.0
-0.1

-2.4
-3.5
0.6

2.6
1.3
0.2
2.5
1.9
1.1
3.0
4.1

2.0
1.2

3.0
-0.6
3.5

2.8
3.8
2.8
-0.2

2.5
-0.3
0.0
2.9
0.5

0.4
0.3

4.0
3.3
1.1
3.4
0.4
1.0
6.6
0.4
-0.8
2.7
0.6
-1.5
-2.1
-2.4
1.1
-1.5
-6.7
-5.3
-0.5
-4.8
1.0

-0.8
-0.2
0.2
3.2
2.6
-1.4
3.7
5.0
4.8
4.5
-0.1
8.5
-0.1
-2.4
0.2
2.9
-1.6
-2.2
-0.1
-0.6
-1.1
2.5
1.0
-1.7
-5.7
0.2
-6.9
-6.6
-8.6

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# EN

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31.05.2013 16:28:40 Uhr

 
 
 
Sweden

Sweden is one of the bottom 2 countries in terms of market performance assessment, 
as was also the case in 2010 and 2011. Its overall score is unchanged in 2012.

Sweden differs from EU27 in that its two top ranking goods sectors are dairy prod-
ucts  and  alcoholic  products,  which  occupy  8th  and  7th  place  respectively  in  the 
overall  EU27  ranking.  The  spectacles  and  lenses  category  comes  14th  in  Sweden 
and 4th in EU27, while fuel for vehicles is 6.7 points and 14 places higher in Sweden 
than in EU27. Sweden’s two bottom ranked goods sectors are second-hand cars and 
clothing and footwear. This is consistent with the overall EU27 rankings and has not 
changed since 2011.

S
D
O
O
G

Generally speaking, the top rated service sectors in Sweden are in the leisure indus-
try, as was the case in 2011 and in line with the EU27 scores. The assessment for 
the housing market is also high, with mortgages and real estate services both rank-
ing 11 places higher in Sweden than at the EU27 level, although Sweden’s score for
mortgages decreased by 3.1 points in 2012. It is in the telecommunications sector 
that Sweden receives a less favourable assessment, with lower scores than EU27 for
fixed telephone services, mobile telephone services and internet provision.

Sweden – nMPI

Dairy products
Alcoholic drinks
Books, magazines and newspapers
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Non-alcoholic drinks
Fuel for vehicles
Furniture and furnishings
Entertainment goods
Small household appliances
Large household appliances
Non prescription medicines
Maintenance products
Electronic products
Spectacles and lenses
New cars
Fruit and vegetables
Personal care products
Meat and meat products
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Culture and entertainment
Personal care services
Holiday accommodation
Commercial sport services
Packaged holidays & tours
Airline services
Postal services
Vehicle rental services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Gambling and lottery services
Vehicle insurance
Bank accounts
Home insurance
Loans, credit and credit cards
Water supply
Legal and accountancy services
Mortgages
Real estate services
Tram, local bus, metro
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Maintenance services
Private life insurance
TV-subscriptions
Train services
Electricity services
Fixed telephone services
Mobile telephone services
Internet provision
Investment products, private pensions and securities

97

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
SE
EU27

105.4
104.3
104.1
103.6
103.5
102.2
102.0
101.8
101.2
100.4
100.4
  99.9
  99.2
  99.2
  98.4
97.9
97.8
  96.8
  96.1
  95.1
  90.6

108.4
107.5
107.5
106.3
105.2
105.1
104.8
104.8
103.5
102.4
102.1
101.4
101.2
100.6
100.4
100.2
  99.0
  98.0
97.6
97.0
  96.9
  96.4
  95.3
  94.6
  94.6
  93.9
  92.3
  92.3
  90.8

0.1
0.7
0.4
0.5
0.0
-1.1
0.8
-0.9
-0.3
0.6
0.2
0.0
0.7
-1.4
1.3
-0.3
-0.7
0.2
-1.1
0.4
-0.1

-1.3
-1.3
0.7
-0.3
0.1
-0.8
0.9
1.6
-0.6
1.7
0.9
-0.7
-0.7
-0.5
2.2
1.5
-3.1
0.6
-2.9
-1.6
1.2
-1.4
2.7
0.1
3.2
-1.4
2.0
-0.9
-1.8

-3.4
-2.6
-2.0
-1.8
-3.0
-3.0
-0.8
-2.5
-3.5
-1.6
-1.6
-3.1

-3.3
-1.7
-0.3
-1.3
-1.0
-5.3
-1.9

1.8
3.9
2.3
1.6
1.2
2.3
3.4
-0.5
2.5
-2.0
2.0
1.5
2.7

1.3

1.3
3.5
4.2
3.7

0.5
0.8
2.7
0.5
2.4
1.4

3.8
2.6
-0.5
0.7
0.3
6.7
1.5
0.3
-0.5
-1.3
0.1
0.0
-1.9
-3.2
-0.9
-0.4
-3.2
-0.5
-2.9
-0.4
-0.3

1.8
-0.4
2.4
0.8
2.0
0.5
2.4
2.9
0.7
0.8
-0.8
2.8
-0.3
2.1
1.9
1.7
4.9
4.0
-2.7
-1.4
-0.1
-1.2
-2.4
-3.7
-0.6
-6.3
-5.4
-5.1
-2.1

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:41 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:41 Uhr

 
 
 
 
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98

UK

The UK’s performance assessment is more positive than the EU27 average, and its 
overall  country  ranking  has  risen  from  14th  place  in  2011  to  6th  place  this  year, 
bringing the UK back into line with its 2010 position of 4th.

The top 3 goods sectors in the UK are bread, cereals, rice and pasta, books, maga-
zines  and  newspapers  and  personal  care  products.  The  bottom  3  goods  sectors  in 
the  UK  are  all  in  the  automotive  sector:  second  hand  cars,  new  cars  and  fuel  for 
vehicles.  Fuel  for  vehicles  may  be  particularly  affected  by  rising  fuel  prices  and 
concerns about fuel duty. The score for new cars in the UK is 5.5 points below the 
EU27  score  for  new  cars.  Other  striking  differences  between  the  UK  and  EU27  are 
fruit and vegetables, ranked 4th in the UK but 17th at the EU27 level, and spectacles 
and lenses, ranked 15th in the UK but 4th at the EU27 level.

S
D
O
O
G

The top and bottom service sectors in the UK are compatible with the EU27 average, 
with the exception of bank account services, ranked 28th in the UK and 16th in EU27. 
Other differences between the UK and EU27 can be observed in private life insurance, 
ranked 10 places higher than the EU27 average, and gas services, ranked 10 places 
lower than in EU27. Within the UK, the biggest changes since 2011 are TV subscrip-
tion services (up 4.2 points), loans, credit and credit cards (up 4.1 points), tram, local 
bus and metro services (down 4.1 points) and postal services (down 3.6 points).

Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Books, magazines and newspapers
Personal care products
Fruit and vegetables
Entertainment goods
Non prescription medicines
Non-alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks
Dairy products
Meat and meat products
Small household appliances
Maintenance products
Large household appliances
Electronic products
Spectacles and lenses
Furniture and furnishings
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Fuel for vehicles
New cars
Second hand cars

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Personal care services
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Culture and entertainment
Holiday accommodation
Gambling and lottery services
Home insurance
Packaged holidays & tours
Vehicle insurance
Commercial sport services
Airline services
Vehicle rental services
Fixed telephone services
Legal and accountancy services
Private life insurance
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Postal services
Maintenance services
Electricity services
Loans, credit and credit cards
Mobile telephone services
Tram, local bus, metro
Water supply
TV-subscriptions
Mortgages
Gas services
Train services
Internet provision
Bank accounts
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Real estate services

UK – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
UK
EU27

104.9
103.6
103.0
102.8
102.8
102.8
102.5
102.2
102.0
101.8
101.4
101.3
100.8
  99.5
  99.0
  98.6
97.6
  95.4
  95.3
  93.8
  88.7

108.6
107.5
106.7
106.6
106.2
104.4
103.7
103.0
102.8
102.3
100.3
100.1
100.1
  99.5
  99.2
  99.0
  99.0
  98.0
97.9
97.6
97.5
97.5
97.1
97.0
  96.2
  95.8
  95.7
  95.6
  93.2
  92.0

1.8
-2.5
-0.2
1.9
0.4
1.0
-0.8
0.6
-1.0
1.8
-1.2
0.2
1.0
-1.0
-0.4
-0.7
0.5
-2.3
0.9
-0.7
0.7

-1.1
-0.6
-1.4
0.2
-0.8
-0.9
0.0
-2.4
-0.6
0.1
0.6
0.4
0.5
-2.5
-0.4
-3.6
2.7
0.6
4.1
-0.4
-4.1
0.4
4.2
1.2
-1.6
-0.6
2.8
3.0
-1.0
1.3

-0.4
2.7
-0.7
-2.4
0.2
-0.7
0.6
-2.9

-2.3
0.2
-0.1
-2.1
-1.5

-2.3
-2.7
-3.5
-6.2
-3.4
-7.7

8.2
7.6
5.6
5.3
5.5
6.6
2.8
6.7
1.7
2.4
0.9
1.9

3.5
1.6
-2.7
-1.5

0.4
2.5
-2.7

1.5
-0.9
-3.6
-5.6
4.4
-4.8

2.0
-1.0
2.0
4.5
1.3
2.4
-0.7
0.5
0.4
4.5
-0.3
1.4
-0.9
-1.6
-3.4
-2.0
-1.4
-0.1
-0.1
-5.5
-2.2

0.7
4.8
0.2
1.6
4.6
2.9
0.5
0.1
-2.7
-2.2
-1.6
-0.2
1.5
1.8
0.8
-3.4
1.9
2.7
-0.6
-0.1
-2.8
-1.0
-0.7
2.9
-3.2
-2.5
-1.6
-2.9
0.3
-2.0

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:42 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:42 Uhr

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Norway

With  an  overall  score  of  98.2  points,  Norway’s  market  performance  is  assessed 
slightly less favourably than the EU27 average.

The top 3 ranked goods sectors are alcoholic drinks, fuel for vehicles, and books, mag-
azines  and  newspapers,  which  all  ranked  highly  in  2010  as  well.  The  result  for  fuel
for vehicles is very different in Norway compared to the EU27 average, where it ranks
18 places lower, in 20th position. The fruit and vegetables category ranks lowest with
a score of 93.0 points, which is 5.3 points below the EU27 score. Personal care prod-
ucts receive a rating of 94.3 points, which is 6.7 points below the EU27 score.

S
D
O
O
G

Norway is similar to EU27 in that airline services and culture and entertainment are 
assessed favourably, while investment products, private pensions and securities, in-
ternet provision and real estate services are service sectors with lower rankings. Dif-
ferences worth noting are: mortgages, ranked 4th in Norway and 28th at the overall 
EU27  level  and  bank  accounts,  ranked  3rd  in  Norway  and  16th  in  EU27.  Electricity 
services rank 11 places higher in Norway than in EU27, and cafés, bars and restau-
rants rank 14 places lower in Norway than in EU27.

Alcoholic drinks
Fuel for vehicles
Books, magazines and newspapers
Spectacles and lenses
Non-alcoholic drinks
Dairy products
Furniture and furnishings
Entertainment goods
New cars
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
Large household appliances
Small household appliances
Maintenance products
Electronic products
Non prescription medicines
ICT products
Clothing and footwear
Meat and meat products
Personal care products
Second hand cars
Fruit and vegetables

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Airline services
Culture and entertainment
Bank accounts
Mortgages
Personal care services
Commercial sport services
Vehicle insurance
Holiday accommodation
Water supply
Packaged holidays & tours
Loans, credit and credit cards
Home insurance
Vehicle rental services
Train services
Postal services
Electricity services
Legal and accountancy services
Gambling and lottery services
Tram, local bus, metro
Fixed telephone services
Private life insurance
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Mobile telephone services
TV-subscriptions
Maintenance services
Real estate services
Internet provision
Investment products, private pensions and securities

Norway – nMPI

99

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
NO
EU27

105.3
104.8
104.3
103.9
102.7
102.5
102.1
101.9
101.7
101.1
100.9
100.5
100.4
100.1
  99.5
  96.6
  95.8
  95.4
  94.3
  93.2
  93.0

105.7
105.6
104.2
104.1
104.1
103.8
103.8
103.7
103.1
102.6
102.5
102.4
101.8
101.2
100.1
  99.5
  99.4
  99.2
  99.0
  99.0
97.9
97.1
  95.9
  95.9
  95.0
  94.5
  93.6
  93.1
  92.5

3.6
9.3
-0.2
1.5
-0.5
0.9
1.6
0.4
2.4
-1.7
-0.9
-1.2
0.5
-1.0
-0.8
-2.4
0.3
-2.0
-6.7
2.3
-5.3

1.1
-1.0
5.7
10.0
-3.8
-1.8
0.9
-1.3
4.6
-0.6
4.0
0.9
-0.1
2.9
-2.3
4.3
0.9
-2.4
-1.3
-1.3
0.2
-5.6
-2.5
-1.8
-2.7
-2.6
-0.4
-4.3
-0.4

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# EN

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100

Iceland

With  an  overall  score  of  95.2  points,  the  markets  in  Iceland  are  assessed  less 
favourably than the EU27 average.

As  in  EU27,  the  top  performing  goods  categories  are  spectacles  and  lenses,  and 
books, magazines and newspapers. There is a slight difference in the assessment of 
entertainment goods (ranked 3rd in Iceland but 9th in EU27). The lowest performing 
goods  categories  are  in  line  with  the  EU27  average,  although  the  bottom  category
of  fruit  and  vegetables  scores  7.8  points  lower  than  EU27,  and  second-hand  cars 
category scores 6.1 points higher than the EU27 average.

S
D
O
O
G

The  top  3  performing  service  sectors  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  EU27  aver-
age. The lowest performing services are similar to the EU27 average, although the 
score  of  83.9  for  mortgages  is  particularly  low,  10.1  points  below  the  EU27  score. 
Other differences between Iceland and the EU27 are found in maintenance services 
(13  places  higher  in  Iceland),  vehicle  insurance  services  (11  places  lower  in  Ice-
land),  fixed  telephone  services  (11  places  lower  in  Iceland),  and  electricity  services
(10 places higher in Iceland).

Spectacles and lenses
Books, magazines and newspapers
Entertainment goods
Electronic products
Large household appliances
Non-alcoholic drinks
Furniture and furnishings
Dairy products
ICT products
Alcoholic drinks
Small household appliances
Bread, cereals, rice and pasta
New cars
Personal care products
Maintenance products
Non prescription medicines
Second hand cars
Meat and meat products
Clothing and footwear
Fuel for vehicles
Fruit and vegetables

Culture and entertainment
Commercial sport services
Personal care services
Holiday accommodation
Vehicle rental services
Airline services
Postal services
Packaged holidays & tours
Gambling and lottery services
Tram, local bus, metro
Cafés, bars and restaurants
Legal and accountancy services
Maintenance services
Water supply
Vehicle maintenance and repair
Home insurance
Electricity services
Vehicle insurance
Private life insurance
Loans, credit and credit cards
Real estate services
Bank accounts
TV-subscriptions
Mobile telephone services
Fixed telephone services
Internet provision
Investment products, private pensions and securities
Mortgages

S
E
C

I

V
R
E
S

Iceland – nMPI

2012
MPI

diﬀ
2012
2011

diﬀ
2011
2010

diﬀ
IS
EU27

105.2
103.6
103.4
103.3
103.3
103.0
102.6
102.0
102.0
101.8
101.6
101.0
100.0
  99.9
  98.5
  98.0
97.0
  95.2
  94.9
  93.2
  90.5

111.0
110.6
109.5
108.2
105.4
105.4
105.0
104.9
104.9
101.9
101.2
100.8
100.4
100.4
  99.8
  99.5
  98.5
  98.4
97.1
  96.7
  95.5
  95.3
  94.4
  94.3
  93.8
  93.3
  89.6
  83.9

2.8
-0.9
1.9
2.2
1.5
-0.3
2.1
0.4
3.0
0.1
-0.1
-1.8
0.7
-1.2
-1.4
-2.3
6.1
-2.1
-0.6
-2.3
-7.8

4.5
5.1
1.6
3.2
3.5
0.9
2.6
1.8
3.3
1.5
-1.6
2.2
3.4
1.9
1.4
-1.9
3.3
-4.5
-0.6
-1.7
1.5
-3.3
-3.3
-3.4
-6.4
-4.1
-3.2
-10.1

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# EN

31.05.2013   16:28:45 Uhr
31.05.2013 16:28:45 Uhr

 
 
 
101

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31.05.2013   16:28:46 Uhr
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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

102

ANNEX III (cid:8) MARKET NAMES

Market name

Airline Services

Alcoholic Beverages *

Definition

Airlines. 

Spirits, wine, beer (excluding drinks in cafés, bars and restaurants).

Books, Magazines and Newspapers

Books, magazines, newspapers, stationary, periodicals (excluding postal delivery).

Bread, Cereals, Rice and Pasta

Food – bread and cereals, rice flour, bakery products, pizzas, pasta.

Cafés, Bars and Restaurants

Restaurants and bars, cafés, brasseries, caterers, takeaways, pubs, mobile food vendors, night clubs, discotheques, other. 

Clothing and Footwear

Clothing (including tailor-made goods) and footwear, children’s clothing, women’s clothing, men’s clothing, sportswear, hats, clothing 
material, furs, protective clothing, handbags and accessories, children’s footwear, women’s footwear, men’s footwear, sports footwear, 
other. 

Cultural & Entertainment Services

Theatres, cinemas, museums, zoos, amusement parks, ticket-selling services, other. 

Current Bank Accounts * 

Current accounts, debit cards.

Dairy Products º

Electricity Services

Fixed Telephone Services

Fruit and Vegetables

Fuels *

Furniture and Furnishings

Milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream, etc.

Electricity.

Fixed telephone services, telecom provision, other. 

Food – fruit and vegetables.

Fuels for vehicles, petrol and diesel.

Upholstered furniture, non-upholstered furniture, beds and mattresses, kitchen furniture, fitted furniture, bathroom fittings, antiques, 
leather furniture, cots, high chairs, other nursery furniture, garden furniture, other, floor coverings (carpets, mats and rugs, laminates, 
ceramics, wood, linoleum, underlay, other), household textiles (bedding, cushions, curtains and blinds, furniture fabrics, other), glass-
ware, tableware and household utensils (crockery, cooking and dining utensils, glassware, other). 

Gambling and Lottery Services 

Gambling, lottery and betting services (lotteries, casinos, internet/mobile gambling, other). 

Gas Services

Glasses and Lenses º

Holiday Accommodation

Home Insurance 

Gas. 

Glasses, lenses, sunglasses, etc.

Hotels and other holiday accommodation (e.g. bed & breakfast, youth hostel), caravan sites, camp sites.

Dwelling insurance.

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103

Market name

Definition

House & Garden Upkeep Products

House maintenance and improvement goods, DIY materials (excluding paint and wall coverings), paint, wall coverings, fencing, sheds, 
power tools (e.g. drills, chainsaws), non-electrical tools, gardening equipment/tools (non-electrical), lawn mowers, others.

House & Garden Upkeep Services

ICT Products

House maintenance and improvement services, roofing, decorator services, plumbers and plumbing, floor covering/fitting, central heat-
ing (installation and service), electrical services and installations, bricklayers, carpenters, painters, glaziers, iron-mongers, gardeners, 
tree-surgeons, tarmacking and paving, fitted kitchens, insulation, burglar alarms, wall coating, damp proofing, solar heating, guttering, 
chimney sweeps, replacing doors, fitting bathrooms, swimming pools, other.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) goods, personal computers, self-built computers, computer accessories, printers and scan-
ners, games consoles, portable games players, computer software, computer software upgrades, laptops, notebooks and tablet PCs,
PDAs and smart phones, mobile phone devices, fixed phone devices, modems, decoders, other.

Internet Provision

Internet provision.

Investments, Pensions, Securities

Large Household Appliances

Banking investments, private pensions and securities, packaged investments, portfolio and fund management, private personal pen-
sions, stock broking and derivatives.

Large domestic appliances, electronic cookers, fridges and freezers, washing machines, tumble dryers, washer-dryers 
(combined), dishwashers, space heaters, fixed heaters, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, sewing machines, portable heating appli-
ances, other.

Legal and Accountancy Services º

Lawyers, legal advice, accountants, tax advisors, auditors, other. 

Leisure Goods *

Life Insurance º

Loans and Credit Cards

Meat and Meat Products

Mobile Telephone Services

Mortgages º

New Cars

Musical instruments, toys, games (non-digital), CDs, DVDs, audio and video tapes, computer and video games, hobby goods 
(e.g. stamps, model cars, etc.), not including players for CDs, DVDs, game-consoles, etc. 

Private life-insurance that provides financial benefits to a designated person upon the death of the insured, including endowment 
insurance and annuities.

Loans, banking-credit, credit cards, store cards, consumer credit, revolving credit.

Lamb, veal, pork, beef, poultry, goats’ meat, mutton, other.

Mobile telephony services, telephone provision, text messages, other.

Banking – mortgages.

New cars.

Non-Prescription Medicines

Over-the-counter medication. 

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C O N S U M E R   M A R K E T S   S C O R E B O A R D   8 T H   E D I T I O N   (cid:17)   D E C E M B E R   2 0 1 2

Market name

Definition

Non-Alcoholic Beverages *

Coffee, tea, cocoa, mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices (excluding drinks in cafés, bars and restaurants).

Other Electronic Products

Electronic goods (non ICT/recreational) DVD players-recorders, VCRs, TVs, CDs, HI-FI, media players, non-portable CD, portable radios, 
cameras, video cameras. Photographic equipment, CDs (blank), DVDs (blank), audio and video tapes (blank), other.

Package Holidays & Tours

Package travel and tours, other. 

Personal Care Products

Toiletries and electrical appliances, cosmetics, toiletries (including nappies), wigs, hair care products, perfumes, electric razors and hair 
trimmers, hair dyers, curling tongs and styling combs, other.

Personal Care Services *

Hairdressers, diet clubs/centres, beauty treatments, hair therapy, cosmetic therapy, nail care services, spas, saunas, hammams. 

Postal Services

Real Estate Services *

Second-Hand Cars

Correspondence packages, express mail, periodical publications, issuance and sale of postage stamps. 

Real estate agents and letting agents. 

Second-hand cars.

Small Household Appliances

Small domestic household appliances, food-processing appliances, coffee machines, irons, toasters, grills, other.

Sport and Leisure Services

Health clubs and gyms, sports facilities, sports instructors (not including ‘not-for profit’, sports clubs or activities run on a 
non-profit basis by volunteers and such).

Train Services

Railways. 

Tram, Local Bus & Metro Services

Tram, local bus, metro and underground. 

TV Provision º

Vehicle Insurance

Vehicle Rental Services

TV subscriptions (not TV licence fees), cable TV network subscriptions, satellite TV subscriptions, Digital Terrestrial Television subscrip-
tions, telephone network/modem/internet/TV subscriptions and other such services with an ongoing contract 
(subscription), not including licence fees for public service channels.

Insurance – transport,(car, other road vehicles boat, aircraft)

Car rental, motorcycle rental, van rental, caravan rental, boat rental, other rental.

Vehicle Upkeep & Repair Services

Maintenance and repair of vehicles and other transport, franchise garage or dealer, independent garage, road assistance, other.

Water Provision

Water provision.

(*)  The definition of these markets was amended slightly in 2011.
(°)  These markets are either new or not comparable with 2010.

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